Before I Lose It All
by McDumbles
Summary: "Regina squirmed uncomfortably where she was lying on the cold floor. It had come from nowhere, the blast that had lifted her off of her feet and caused something heavy to fall on top of her. Her face was distorted with pain and confusion, what had caused this? As she groaned and tried to catch her breath, she looked down at the 3 month old baby in her arms." AU / Evil Charming
1. Chapter 1

_Established Evil Charming: This is my first EC fic, but I loooove David/Regina so I had to write something for them! It gets a little dark I suppose, so be ready for that. _

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Regina squirmed uncomfortably where she was lying awkwardly on the cold floor of her kitchen. It had come from nowhere, the blast that had lifted her off of her feet and caused something heavy to fall on top of her. Her face was distorted with pain and confusion, what had caused this? As she groaned and tried to catch her breath, she looked down to check on the three month old baby girl in her arms. Seeing that the infant was unharmed filled her with inexpressible relief. However, the baby was beginning to cry and Regina attempted to comfort her while trying to assess the seriousness of her own injuries. It had been a cabinet that had landed on top of her legs, the contents had spilled all around her and some glasses had smashed but as far as she could tell nothing had cut her or her daughter.

"Shhhhh Kaelyn, it's ok," she said gently. "You're alright." She rubbed the back of the baby's head consolingly. They had been very lucky, just as she was falling, Regina had managed to secure the baby so she would take the hardest part of the fall. Otherwise little Kaelyn might have been crushed. There were tears of pain in Regina's eyes but she blinked them back as she tried to shift her body out from underneath the heavy piece of furniture. When she couldn't free her legs, she carefully placed Kaelyn on the floor and tried to pull herself out using her arms. After a few minutes of excruciating pain, she sighed in exasperation and gave up, having exhausted all of her energy. Allowing herself to rest against the tile, Regina looked around and listened closely to see if anyone else was coming. David wasn't home and she didn't actually know where Henry was. Sometimes he would just run off without telling her. He was usually with Emma but he could be anywhere.

"Henry!" She called, just in case he was home. If he was, she hoped he hadn't been hurt as well. Had the explosion, or earthquake or whatever it was affected just their home or had it been all of Storybrooke?

There was no reply. She tried again but still there was silence. Her whole body was starting to shake now, presumably from the shock of the accident. "Hello? Is anybody there?" No one could hear her. A panic rose up inside her and she wondered where David was. Had he felt it too? She hoped he would somehow know that she and their baby were in danger and would come to their aid. Regina could see no possible way of getting out of this alone. She returned her attention to Kaelyn who was flailing and crying on the floor about a foot away. Regina reached out and delicately took the infant back into her arms. As she held her daughter close, she tried to remain calm, but the throbbing in her legs was getting worse and worse. Sniffing, she tried not to cry as she wondered what was going on. Looking up at the counter she could see her cell phone, but it was impossible for her to reach it.

Closing her eyes she tried to relax in hope to stop the shivering. Kaelyn had finished crying and was staring at her mother with those wide blue eyes of hers that so resembled David's. Sensing the gaze, Regina blinked her brown eyes open and stared sadly back at her baby. "What are we going to do now, hmm?" The baby smiled at the sound of Regina's voice and seeing this, Regina was finally able to calm down a little.

After a few minutes of lying in tentative silence she noticed something that made her blood run cold. She could smell smoke. None of it was visible yet, but it was obviously getting close. Regina began to struggle again, she needed to get free or it could cost both her and Kaelyn's lives. Unfortunately though, she still couldn't release herself. She tried even harder than before but nothing worked; she couldn't keep from screaming as she struggled because her legs by now were killing her from the strain. Looking up towards the ceiling she could now see the smoke slowly billowing into the room and fear welled up inside her.

Somebody had to come to their rescue; her life had finally regained meaning. She had the family she had always wanted and she was even making amends with Henry. It couldn't just end now, not so soon.

Kaelyn was murmuring quietly, unaware of the danger that she and her mother were in. Regina deepened her hold on her, more to comfort herself than anything.

"David where are you?" She practically sobbed.

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It had felt like an eternity, but in reality it had only been a few minutes. The room was getting very warm now and it was quickly filling with smoke. It was easier to breathe where Regina and her baby were since they were underneath the majority of the smoke, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Regina was trying to shield Kaelyn from the smoke, while trying not to breathe in too much of it herself. She had called for help a few more times but there was still no response.

As she stared down at the beautiful baby girl she and David had created together, tears streamed down her face, making a mess of her perfectly applied mascara. She had only felt this helpless twice before. The first time was all those years ago, when she had held Daniel in her arms after her mother had so mercilessly killed him; and the second was when she had been unable to save Henry when he was in a coma. Now Kaelyn's life was at stake, and there was nothing Regina could do to protect her.

"Mommy's sorry honey," she whispered to the baby, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

Suddenly the mayor could hear the crackling of the fire and she looked up to see bright flames inching their way across the walls. She surprised both herself and Kaelyn when she couldn't help but let out a frightened cry. _Please don't let us go this way. _

There was a sound coming from somewhere above, something separate from the sound of the fire. Regina's gaze turned upwards but she couldn't quite make it out. Was it a voice? Her heart sank when the realisation hit her. It was Henry, calling for help. He had been home after all. _No! Not Henry too,_ p_lease let him get out..._ She thought to herself. Fresh tears began to fall as she tried to yell back to him, but she couldn't make out any response over the roar of the flames. She had never been more disappointed in herself in all her life, both of her children needed her help and she couldn't do anything to save them. The brunette was crying soundly now and she clutched her baby even closer. Why did the universe insist on destroying everything she loved? Why wasn't she allowed to just be happy for once?

There was a bang from direction of the front hall but Regina kept her eyes shut tight, assuming something else was crashing to the floor. But then she heard it. His voice; and her heart soared at that oh so familiar sound.

"Regina?! Are you in here?" David yelled into the flames.

"David! We're in the kitchen!" She answered, the shouting causing Kaelyn to cry again. The amount of breath required to shout had caused her to inhale some of the smoke and she began to cough violently.

Once she was able to regain her breath she spoke softly to Kaelyn, "Shhh honey it's ok, Daddy's coming to save us." Regina beamed at the little girl through tear filled eyes, and then glanced back to the door where David was just entering, also coughing from the heavy smoke from the hallway.

"Regina!" David exclaimed in shock, seeing his wife and baby trapped under the heavy furniture. "Are you ok? What happened?" He asked in worry before covering his mouth and nose with his arm as he hurried to lift the heavy cabinet off of Regina.

"I don't know, it happened so fast I don't even know where it came from. All of a sudden I was just thrown to the ground and the next thing I knew I was stuck under this damn thing." She flinched as the cabinet slightly pulled against her leg as David pushed it onto its ornate feet. When she was finally free Regina smiled a little and breathed a sigh of relief. She tried to sit up and found it very difficult, but David was at her side instantly to assist her. She threw her arms around him, careful not to squeeze Kaelyn between the pair of them.

"I thought we were going to die..." she choked, the agony showing clearly in her expression. "I thought I was never going to see you again."

"It will take a lot more than fire to get between us," he smiled while returning her embrace briefly, but affectionately. Regina smiled meekly in return. "We need to get you two out of here. Can you stand up?"

She attempted through much pain and difficulty, but it was no use. She shook her head, her eyes full of fear and worry. "No," she whispered.

"Don't worry," David said consolingly while wrapping his arms around her. "I can carry you." Regina nodded and quickly placed one arm around his shoulders, while securing Kaelyn against her chest with the other. "We'll get you to the hospital sweetheart; you're going to be fine." David kissed the top of her head and she gazed up at him through tear filled eyes before inhaling shakily and leaning her head against his shoulder.

"And how's our little princess? David asked as he easily lifted up his wife and daughter.

"I think she's ok," Regina smiled down at Kaelyn. She felt so much safer in her husband's arms, despite the flames that were still threateningly close.

However her face soon fell and she lifted her head to look back up at David, "but Henry's upstairs. He's all alone, he must be terrified. We need to go and get him!"

David concernedly glanced down at his wife. "Is he in his room?" He asked, coughing again from the thick grey cloud that surrounded them.

"I don't know," she breathed. Her eyes were filling with panic and worry again.

"I'll find him," David assured her, carefully manoeuvring around some debris. "He'll be alright, you have to have faith. He will be fine."

This however did nothing to comfort Regina, she wanted nothing more than to run upstairs herself and rescue her little boy. However her recent injuries prevented even the consideration of such an idea. Instead Regina buried her face against David's shirt for comfort, leaving tearstains and traces of dark make-up on the soft fabric. They were passing through the front hallway of their home and she wasn't ready to see the damage just yet.

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_I'd love to hear what you guys think of the first chapter! I will try to update soon_


	2. Chapter 2

David approached the front door that he had left open in order to let some of the smoke escape. He turned sideways, making sure not to let Regina's legs hit the frame on the way out. Stepping carefully off of the front porch, he walked as quickly as he could while also being attentive of the uneven terrain beneath his feet. As he moved further away from the house he glanced down at his wife, whom he could feel trembling in his arms. She still had her face hidden against his chest, and his shirt was getting quite damp from her tears but he didn't mind. Who could blame her? Her sobbing was getting worse and David's heart broke for her. He just wished he could do more to comfort her.

"Regina... everything's going to be fine. You and Kaelyn are safe now, we'll get you both to the hospital soon. And I _will_ get Henry out, he's going to be alright. Don't worry about the house either, we'll be able to get it fixed." Regina raised her head a little as she listened to him, but kept her gaze downwards. David knelt down and delicately placed her on the ground next to a tree so she could lean her back against it. "Are you ok here on your own for a few minutes while I go back inside?" David asked as he gently wiped away some of her tears with his thumb.

Adjusting Kaelyn in her arms, Regina looked up to meet her husband's concerned gaze. The pain that David saw in her brown eyes tore him up inside, and as she nodded her head slowly in response, all he wanted to do was to gather her in his arms again and hold her tight. However, he knew that there no time for that right now; he had to get to Henry before it was too late.

David gave her a small, encouraging smile and started to stand up but she grabbed his arm, "David wait." She said, her eyes wide.

David frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

Regina's lips quivered and it took her a few moments before she could speak again. "Be careful," she finally whispered, stroking his arm with her thumb.

David's expression softened. "You don't need to worry, I will be. I promise." He ran a hand through her hair and leaned in to kiss her on the lips; a gesture which she returned affectionately. When David broke apart he smiled reassuringly at her and said, "I'll see you in a bit."

Regina took a deep, shaky breath and replied, "You better mean that."

David gave a small laugh at her response. "Look after Kaelyn, I'll be right back." He stood up and felt a pang in his heart as he saw more tears forming in Regina's eyes. She looked so small and vulnerable right now he couldn't bear to leave her. But Henry needed help and he had to rescue him, the fire was spreading quickly and he didn't know how much longer the fire department would take to arrive. Breaking their locked gaze, he turned around and ran back towards the mansion. As Regina watched him she felt her whole body began to shake again as she cried. When he disappeared into the building she bowed her head and clutched her baby close to her heart, hoping beyond anything that this was not the last time she would ever see her husband again.

If David didn't come back to her, it would mean losing Henry too. She didn't think she would be able to handle losing both of them at once. David had brought light back into her life. Even though she adored Henry with every fiber of her being, she had still felt incomplete before David. He had shown her that it was ok to trust people, and that not everyone was out to hurt her. He had helped her gain back some of what she used to be, before she had let the darkness consume her.

And then there was Henry... for the longest time he was the only family she had. It had been hard enough losing him once; those moments when she had thought Henry was gone forever had been some of the worst in her life. She couldn't bear to live through that again.

Staring down at the baby cradling in her arms, she noticed that Kaelyn's eyes were closed and she was being unusually still. Regina's heart skipped a beat, "no..." she breathed, raising the infant closer to her eyes. Had she inhaled too much smoke? Rubbing the baby's back, Regina closely watched her tummy to see if she was still breathing.

Regina gave an enormous sigh of relief as she saw the faint rise and fall of Kaelyn's middle. Before even considering that she would wake the child up, Regina hugged her daughter, pulling her into a warm embrace against her chest. The baby's eyes fluttered open and she coughed a few times, before whining at being woken so soon. Regina only laughed in delight as she pulled away to gaze lovingly down at her daughter's adorable little face.

"Kaelyn don't you ever do that to mommy again!" She gently tapped the baby's nose with her forefinger and Kaelyn responded by exclaiming incoherently, bearing an enormous smile. "You gave me such a scare!" Regina smiled and pulled her baby close again, closing her eyes to try to calm her now rapidly beating heart.

After a minute or so of just holding Kaelyn and breathing deeply, she opened her eyes and massaged her legs which were beginning to throb again. They must have lost blood flow when she had been trapped beneath the cabinet and now the numbness was wearing off. Even though they were hurting more than ever, this time when she attempted to move her legs, she could manage it. To an extent at least. She hoped they weren't too badly injured.

In an attempt to distract herself from the pain she looked up at her home, waiting for David to return; but this turned out to be a bad idea. The structure still looked perfectly fine from the outside, but the orange glow from the flames was visible on both floors. Some of the rooms were dark, so thankfully not all of the house had been affected yet. However Regina felt her stomach drop when she looked at the window to Henry's bedroom, where the flickering of fire was faintly visible.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

David re-entered the house, the smoke was becoming incredibly thick now but he could still make out where he needed to go. He quickly examined the stairs and saw that the top was blocked with fire. Hurrying back into the kitchen he made his way to the cupboard under the sink where a small fire extinguisher was kept. Once he had this he raced back to the front hall and ran up the stairs two at a time. When he reached the second floor, he pulled on the red lever and tried to subdue some of the flames so he could get through. Managing to make a significant dent in the flickering orange monstrosity he jumped the last step and hurried into Henry's room.

"Henry?" He called into the smoke, some of the fire had made its way in here too, and Henry was nowhere to be seen.

David coughed as he inhaled a mouthful of smoke. "Henry?!" He tried again, looking around. He checked the opposite side of the bed and inside the closet but didn't see any sign of the boy. Before leaving the room to check the rest of the upper level, David knelt down on the floor and placed his palms on the carpet to look under the bed. He gasped as he saw Henry lying on his stomach, his cheek pressed against the floor and his eyes closed. David reached out a hand to shake him and shouted his name again, but Henry remained unconscious. Sliding himself closer to the bed, David grabbed hold of Henry's waist. As delicately as he could he pulled the eleven year old out while supporting his head with one hand so his face didn't drag against the carpet. When Henry had fully emerged, David scooped him easily into his arms and raced back towards the front door, the sound of sirens finally audible over the sound of the flames.


	3. Chapter 3

_So finally I am posting the third chapter! Heads up though I don't know my medical stuff so I could have some info wrong! Try not to hold it against me! _

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Regina looked up just in time to see David emerging from the house carrying Henry's limp body, smoke billowing out behind around them.

Her face filled with horror, "David, is he ok?" She shouted across the lawn. Forgetting about her injuries, she tried to stand up and was greeted with a sharp pain from both her legs. Shutting her eyes tight and hissing in discomfort, she slumped back against the tree. David hurried forwards and she squinted through tears as she watched him. When he reached, her he knelt down and gently placed Henry on the grass beside her.

"Are you ok Regina? That looked painful," he placed a hand on the side of her head in concern.

"Never mind about me, is Henry alright?" She said, her voice higher than usual as she passed Kaelyn to David.

"I didn't get the chance to check," David said worriedly, as Regina pulled her son into her arms.

"Henry..." she whispered as she pushed his hair away from his eyes. The anguish was clear in her expression, and tears were beginning to fall for about the hundredth time that day. These ones however, hurt more than any of the others. She could barely breathe as she checked for his heartbeat. She could feel David place an arm around her as she waited, and when she received her answer she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the trunk of the tree.

"How is he?" David asked, afraid of what he would hear.

Regina took another deep breath and looked over at him, her eyes almost shining for the first time that afternoon. "He's alive," she said, a catch in her voice. David's wide smile of relief almost matched Regina's as she rested her forehead against his shoulder for a few seconds before leaning down to place a kiss on Henry's forehead. "Keep on fighting Henry. Please come back to me... don't give up." Her voice broke as she almost couldn't say the last part.

"Is he still breathing? Does he need mouth to mouth?" David interrupted.

"Yes he is, his breathing seems to be fine." Regina responded in a low voice, she was still leaning towards Henry, but she slowly sat up, never taking her eyes off of him. David rubbed her arm comfortingly and she wiped a few tears away from her eyes.

A group of emergency vehicles including two ambulances came to a halt on the road in front of the elegant white house, and both parents looked up to see a team of firefighters jumping into action.

David kissed Regina's temple, and whispered, "see? Everything will be fine." Regina gave a shaky smile, praying that he was right.

Two EMTs rushed towards the family and turned their attention first to Henry.

"How long as he been unconscious?" One of them asked as they both examined him.

"We don't know," David answered, "I just pulled him from the house a few minutes ago and he was already passed out when I found him."

"Ok, well he is breathing on his own which is good. But we need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible." Said the paramedic. "Is anyone else injured?"

"My wife, a heavy piece of furniture fell on top of her after the explosion." David responded again, Regina was too busy fretting over Henry.

"Let me see," the paramedic said kindly to the mayor, who finally took her attention away from Henry whom she was still holding protectively against her.

Regina cleared her throat. "Ummm... it's my legs", she said distractedly. The paramedic gently pushed one of her pant legs up to reveal heavily bruising skin.

The paramedic turned to the other EMT," we're going to need two stretchers." The EMT nodded and went to get the first one. The paramedic continued to question David and Regina until the EMT returned with the stretcher.

"May we?" she asked Regina in regards to Henry. Regina frowned and clutched her son tighter, afraid of losing him.

"We'll look after him, and you'll be able to see him very soon." She assured the mother.

"Regina, let them take care of Henry," David said soothingly.

The brunette took a deep breath. "Fine," she said simply, not meeting his eyes, and she loosened her hold on him to let the EMTs pick him up and strap him to a stretcher. As they wheeled the boy back to the first ambulance, Regina leaned into David as he embraced her consolingly.

When the EMTs came back for Regina, David thought she was going to put up a fuss and insist that she stay with her son, but she let them take her to the second ambulance and give her an oxygen mask. The firefighters were left to save the house while David was allowed to ride in the ambulance with Regina and Kaelyn. They were both also going to need some oxygen too, just as a precaution. On the short ride to the hospital Kaelyn coughed a few times and then closed her eyes. David assumed she was just sleepy but the paramedic riding with them looked at the infant in concern.

"Has she done that any other times today?" she asked.

"No, not that I've seen." David said, eyeing the paramedic suspiciously. Regina said something that they couldn't decipher through the oxygen mask she was wearing.

She went to remove it but the paramedic stopped her, "here, let me do it."

When Regina was free of the mask she said, somewhat breathily, "Kaelyn did that before, I didn't think anything of it. I assumed she had just been asleep and that I woke her up. Is something wrong?"

"She might have breathed in too much smoke and her lungs are having difficulty coping." The paramedic explained.

"What?" Regina panicked, trying to sit up.

"It's ok," the paramedic said, gently pushing Regina back down. "With treatment your baby should be better in no time. Just try to relax for now."

She replaced the mask and Regina went to argue but David patted her arm, telling her with his eyes to trust the paramedic.

She held back whatever she was going to say but he could tell she was getting anxious and this wasn't going to help the situation any. He began to talk to her in a low, comforting voice as the paramedic examined Kaelyn. Regina's eyes were closed as she listened to him, but when she finally did open them again he almost wished she hadn't. She was looking at him with eyes that were so full of pain that it cut through him like a knife. David took her hands in his and tried to smile, even though seeing her so distraught was bringing tears to his eyes. However hard he tried to hide it from her, it was clear that Regina could see him falling apart, and he was afraid this would only make her even more upset.

She squeezed his hand gently and he realised that she was now trying to console him.

Now he really was able to smile, he sighed as he unclasped one of his hands from hers, and raised it to her forehead, gently brushing a few strands of hair back into place. At his touch her eyes softened, and they were both able to relax a little.

Regina broke their gaze first in order to turn her head back to the paramedic and Kaelyn. The baby appeared to be breathing normally and was quietly staring at something on one of the shelves.

"How is she?" David asked.

"She will be fine for now," the paramedic responded, "but she will need to be further looked at once we get to the hospital... in fact, we're just about to arrive."

David saw Regina tense slightly upon hearing that. "It's ok," he whispered as he leaned in closer, "I'll be right here with you." As he rubbed her arm, he saw that her eyes were just missing his and they had a faraway look in them. She wasn't afraid for herself, she was worrying about the condition of her children. Both of them could be at risk and there was nothing she could do. "I'll check on Henry as soon as I can," he assured her.

When the ambulance came to a stop, David placed a delicate kiss on her forehead and once again, she calmed at his touch.

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_A/N:_ _I'm sorry that once again this chapter is quite short. I was planning on making it longer but it has been a while since I updated and I thought I would just post this now. I'll try to write more soon, but I'm really busy over the next few weeks with university, I have a bunch of essays due soon that I've barely started and then right after that is final exams. Oooh my god school is going to kill me! I just want to write fanfiction for the rest of my life! :D I might post another chapter soon though, if I need a break from researching and studying! Thank you for your continued support! _


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry it has taken me so long to update, school has been taking over my life! But I thought I would give you another short chapter just so you know I haven't abandoned this story. :)_

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David exited the ward where Kaelyn was being looked after. He sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose; what a horrible day this had turned out to be. It was a few hours after they had arrived at the hospital and David had been constantly going back and forth from each family member, wanting to be with all of them at the same time. Kaelyn by now was stable, and the doctor looking after said she was in good enough health to leave that day. Her breathing patterns were back to normal and her lungs were clear of the smoke. However the doctor was still going to monitor her for the next few hours just in case matters changed.

David was on his way to check on Henry again. The boy had gone critical and was still unconscious. The doctors couldn't determine how long his coma would last, but they told David to remain positive. When Henry had been pulled from the fire there had been no need for CPR, and this improved his chances tremendously. When he reached the room where Henry was, David was surprised to find the room clear of the majority of hospital staff who had been there only twenty minutes ago, and instead there was only a certain brunette, now sitting in a wheelchair beside the patient's bed. Regina was looking in the direction of the eleven year old, but her gaze was unfocused. Lost in thought, she traced her bottom lip with the side of her index finger. David continued into the room, and after a quick glance at Henry he knelt down beside Regina. The brunette snapped out of her reverie and looked down at him. Her eyes softened as their gazes met.

He placed a hand on top of hers, "how are you feeling?" He asked his wife in a tender voice. Once she had been admitted, the doctors had confirmed that both of her legs were fractured, but they would be able to heal fully in time. There had been some surgery, but she would need to rely on a wheelchair for the next few months while she recovered.

She breathed in heavily, "I can't feel any pain now, but I've been better."

David gave her a small smile. "Any improvement with Henry?" He asked.

Regina's brow furrowed and she shook her head. She turned away from him to watch Henry again, this time actually looking at him. He had a breathing mask on and his chest was rising and falling rhythmically. The sight haunted her as it reminded her so much of the events of the previous year.

"It's not fair," she whispered. "Why is this happening again? Henry never did anything to deserve this..."

David carefully sat on the bed so he could face her. "No, he didn't... but this was an accident, there is nothing anyone could have done to stop it."

Regina's face fell, and moments later she burst into tears.

Her husband's expression saddened instantly, and he stood up so he could wrap his arms around her. It was a slightly awkward position for him because of the wheelchair, but he didn't mind in the least. This little bit of discomfort was nothing to him if it meant being able to offer Regina at least a little bit of consolation. Her arms tightened around him in response.

"I didn't even know whether he was home or not," she sobbed into his chest. "If I hadn't heard him screaming, he would have..." Her voice trailed off as her crying became worse. "What kind of mother am I?"

"Shhhhh," David said softly as he rubbed her back comfortingly. "The important thing is that you did hear him. And Regina, you are a great mother. Never let yourself think otherwise."

Regina gasped for air before sobbing again. She closed her eyes and shook her head in disagreement.

"I mean it," he whispered into her hair, "and if it's anyone fault it's mine. I should have come home sooner. I'm so sorry... I could have lost all three of you."

Regina responded with what almost seemed like a laugh, "David don't be silly, there is no way you could have known. I'm just... _so_ happy you got there when you did."

There was a few moments of silence as David thought."I guess we were just very lucky." He said in a low voice, his eyes cast downwards.

The brunette nodded sadly, and looked back at her son. "Not all of us..."

David broke apart from her and resumed his previous position on the side of the bed, turning his attention to the boy as well. He felt it was no use to try to persuade his wife that Henry would be fine. He didn't even know for sure that Henry would pull through this; so maybe trying to convince her otherwise was a bad idea after all. They both had to prepare for the worst, just in case.

Rather than saying anything more about Henry, David decided on distracting her. "Kaelyn is doing much better, we will be able to take her home soon-" David cut himself off as he saw Regina close her eyes heavily. _Home_. He could smack himself right now for being so stupid.

"If there was anything to take her back too." Regina replied quietly. "Do you know how bad it is?"

"No, I haven't heard back from the fire department yet." So much for distracting her.

"Do you want me to see if I can bring Kaelyn in here with us for a while?"

Regina smiled and nodded, "that would be lovely," she said softly.

"Ok," David returned her smile with one of his own, and placed a hand on her cheek . Standing up he said, "see you in a bit."

Regina gave another small nod, and then watched him leave. Once her husband had disappeared from view, she reached out and took one of Henry's hands.

After a few moments, a soft, concerned voice came from the doorway, "how is he?"


	5. Chapter 5

Regina looked around when she heard the voice. Emma Swan stood in the doorway, her expression full of worry.

"I came as soon as I could," Emma continued.

Regina gave a tiny smile in acknowledgement and then replied to Emma's question."Not well. He's been unconscious ever since we got here and he doesn't seem to be improving."

Emma's face fell and she looked off to the side for a moment. "What do the doctors say?" Even from across the room Regina could see that Emma's eyes were glistening with tears. Noticing this, Regina couldn't help but feel a sort of connection with the other woman. No matter how much Regina had tried to deny it in the past, Emma was Henry's mother too. Right now, it felt like no one else in the world would know what Regina was feeling, accept for Emma.

"At this point we just have to wait hope for the best." Regina rubbed Henry's hand in her own.

Emma gestured to a chair on the other side of Henry's bed, "do you mind if I...?"

"Of course not," Regina answered, and Emma pulled the chair closer and took a seat.

Only a year ago, Emma's presence would have set the mayor's teeth on edge, but over the course of the past few months, the two had begun to set aside their differences as they realised the effect it was having on Henry. It had been particularly hard for Regina to let the blonde in because she assumed it would weaken her chances with Henry, but she had been wrong. After Henry had seen Regina's acceptance of Emma, he began to warm up to his adoptive mother once more.

"Should you really be out of bed right now? I hear you have quite a recovery ahead." Emma smirked at Regina, knowing all too well that when Regina had her mind set on something, it was almost impossible to persuade her otherwise.

"We came to an agreement."

Emma laughed a little.

"I had to promise to stay in bed all night," Regina said somewhat bitterly.

"Well, rest will help you recover faster. And you do need to sleep at some point" Emma pointed out.

"I know," Regina sighed, "I just want to be here when Henry wakes up."

"Ya... I can understand that." Emma frowned, reaching an arm out to pat Henry's leg, leaving her hand to rest there as both women focused their attention on him.

"He pulled through once before," Emma continued. "I'm betting he'll be able to this time as well. He's a strong kid."

Regina didn't meet Emma's eyes as she responded, "I hope you're right."

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes as they watched Henry. Apart from the monitors attached to him and the breathing mask, he looked as if he could simply be sleeping. He seemed so peaceful.

"Oh... and your house by the way..." Emma broke the silence, "it's not as bad as it could be. The firefighters got to it quickly so the structure is still intact for the most part. They said it is safe for someone to go in now and move anything that is salvageable before you have the house repaired."

Regina breathed in heavily, "they got to it quickly?" She repeated in confusion. "But we were stuck inside for ages before even David got there, and the team didn't arrive for some time after that."

"I guess you weren't inside for as long as you thought." Emma shrugged, "situations like that can seem a lot longer than they really are. That should be a relief though, most houses would be reduced to ashes after something like this. You are lucky."

"Maybe..." Regina said, "but right now I really don't feel lucky. Quite the opposite in fact."

"You all escaped though, and your house is still standing. Just keep remembering that part and maybe things will start looking less awful." Emma responded.

The brunette nodded as she blinked back fresh tears and looked at the Sheriff, finding a strange comfort in the sincerity of her words. Perhaps Emma was right after all.

"Do they know what caused the fire?" Regina asked.

"I'm not sure. Nothing was mentioned, I think they may still be looking for the source. Do you have any idea what might have started it?"

"No, it was like nothing I've ever seen before."

"It could just be one of those freak things that are unexplainable." Emma wondered aloud.

Regina was about to respond when she heard voices approaching the room. She looked up at the door and Emma turned around to follow her gaze. David came into view, and also a nurse who was pushing a hospital baby trolley containing Kaelyn.

"Look who's here to see you Kaelyn," the nurse cooed. "It's mommy."

Regina's heart filled with warmth as she saw Kaelyn for the first time since arriving at Storybrooke General. Seeing for herself that Kaelyn really was ok was a huge burden lifted. Tears swam once again in her eyes as the three came further into the room.

"Can I hold her?" Regina asked the nurse.

"Absolutely," the nurse said kindly, carefully picking up the infant and lowering her into her mother's arms. "I'll come back later to check on her."

"Thank you," Regina beamed at Kaelyn, snuggling the baby against her chest.

"You're welcome," the nurse nodded at the other two adults and left the room.

"Emma, hi. It's good to see you." David said to the blonde.

"Hey David." Emma smiled, "it's been some day hasn't it?"

"You're not kidding." David grinned, rubbing the back of his neck.

Regina looked over at him. "Honey, please sit down. You've been racing around all afternoon, you need a break."

"Always looking out for me," David moved closer to her and she responded

"mmhmm," as he placed a hand on her back and kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes and leaned in to his touch. David then reached down and tickled the top of one of Kaelyn's little hands before straightening up again and grabbing a chair. He pulled it to the foot of the bed and sat down.

Emma smiled somewhat sadly as she watched the couple, they seemed so in love with each other. Sometimes she wished she could have something like that for herself, but she had always been afraid of getting too close to someone in case of getting hurt again, as like what had happened with Neal. When David sat down she saw him look at Regina again, smiling adoringly as he watched her cradling their baby. Emma turned her attention back to Henry and tried not to feel as if she was intruding on a family moment. She was quite envious that Regina had gotten the chance to raise him. She knew she wouldn't have been able to take care of him herself, but all the same, she wondered what it would have been like; rocking him back to sleep when he cried out in the middle of the night, teaching him how to walk and talk, taking him to his first day of school, watching him grow up...

"Emma are you ok?" Regina's voice interrupted her thoughts. Emma turned to Regina and David, and then raised a hand to her eyes as she realised she was crying.

Wiping away the tears with her thumb she replied, "oh ya, it's nothing. Just... worried about Henry that's all."

Regina nodded softly in understanding.

"We all are," David agreed quietly.

The three remained silent for the next little while, all taking comfort in the fact that they weren't alone in their grief.

After about fifteen minutes Regina spoke up, "did I ever tell you about the time I found Henry in Kaelyn's room in the middle of the night?" She asked Emma.

"Nope, what was he doing?"

"Well, I heard Kaelyn crying, and just as I was about to go and get her, she stopped. I figured she had just fallen back to sleep or something, but then a few minutes later I could hear voices. I got out of bed and walked quietly to her room, trying not to wake anyone else up. When I got to the doorway I could see Henry sitting on the floor, reading Kaelyn a story from his book."

Emma smiled and looked at Henry briefly before turning back to Regina to listen to the rest.

"I went in, and asked what he was doing. He said he didn't want Kaelyn to be upset, so he was going to stay with her until she fell back to sleep. He said he was going to stay there all night in case she woke up again. This was around the time when we first moved Kaelyn into her own room and he didn't want her to feel lonely. I told him it was very sweet of him, but that he didn't have to do that and he should go back to sleep because he had school in the morning. He finally agreed, but he left one of his old teddy bears on a chair beside her crib before going back to bed. Before she was born I wasn't sure of how Henry would feel about David and I having a baby, but he is the best big brother to her."

"Aww," Emma looked proudly at Henry again. "She's lucky to have a brother as caring as he is."

"Yes she is," Regina rubbed Kaelyn's head as she too gazed lovingly at the eleven year old.

Heavy breathing was coming from the foot of the bed and Regina turned to see David fast asleep in his chair. She laughed and whispered, "Emma look."

"He's had a long day," the blonde grinned at David. "I don't blame him."

Emma noticed Regina's expression turn faraway, and she knew what the brunette was thinking; if David hadn't come to their rescue, who knows whether all four family members would have survived the day's events.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Hey guys. I finally finished the next chapter. I didn't want to post a new one until I was positive where I was going with the story. I had conflicting ideas and I couldn't pick one, so I hope I made the right choice. :P One part of this chapter may be confusing, but keep in mind that this is AU so the character histories are a bit different._

* * *

It was a quarter past two in the morning, and Emma was fast asleep. She was seated beside Henry's hospital bed, and she had pulled the chair close so she could rest her head in her arms against the blankets next to Henry's legs. David had gone to take a nap in the visitor's lounge and Regina had returned to her own hospital room.

Emma moaned as something interrupted her sleep. She breathed in heavily as her eyes fluttered open, stretching her back as she checked the clock. Sighing, she leaned back into the chair, still groggy from her nap. When she turned to look at Henry she suddenly snapped back into reality. He had moved; his head was leaning to the side, and one of his arms was draped over his stomach whereas it had lain flat beside him earlier.

She immediately leaned closer to him, "Henry?"

There was no reply, but Emma could have sworn his head moved slightly at the sound.

She reached out and grabbed his arm, "Henry?" She asked again, "wake up."

The boy made a small noise in response and began to stir, causing Emma to beam with relief.

"Can you hear me?"

Henry's eyelids were heavy and it took him a few seconds before he was finally able to squint at the blurry figure beside him.

"Emma?"

The blonde laughed and left her seat so she could hug him. "ya, its me..."

"Is this the hospital? What happened? There was a fire at home, and my mom and sister were downstairs, but I don't remember anything else. Where are they? Are they ok?"

Emma pulled away from Henry and still smiling she said, "ya its the hospital. They're both here, and they're fine. We were all so worried about you though. David rescued you all from the fire, but you weren't waking up and... you really scared us."

"Sorry..." He sounded sincere. "Are they really ok? It was so scary, the hallway was blocked and I didn't know what to do. I hid under my bed because I remember from school that you are supposed to stay below the smoke. I guess it didn't really do much though huh?"

"You're still here aren't you? That was good thinking."

Henry grinned at the praise. "What time is it?"

"Almost 2:20"

"In the morning?"

"Yep, but you know what? I don't think I want you to go back to sleep tonight ok?"

"Ok."

They both looked towards the door as two nurses hurried into the room to examine Henry.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Mr. Nolan?"

"Mr. Nolan?" David was woken by a short woman with honey blonde hair piled on top of her head under her nurse's cap.

" Is everything alright?" He replied, sitting up to face the night nurse, "and please, call me David."

"David," she nodded, "and yes it is. In fact I have some wonderful news. Henry's just woken up."

"Really?" David stood up, "that's excellent!"

"Just a few minutes ago in fact. I thought it best to inform you right away. I wasn't sure if I should wake his mother because she really needs to sleep, but as it turns out I've just been told that she is awake too. She is asking for you. We haven't told her the news yet because we thought it might be nice for her to hear it from you."

David nodded, "I'll tell her. Is there anyone with Henry right now?"

"Yes, the sheriff is still with him."

"That's good. He's going to be ok now right?"

"Things are looking well, yes." The nurse said kindly.

"That's great!" David smiled."Thank you for waking me up."

"You're welcome David."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"He's awake?" Regina beamed, her eyes glistening with happy tears. "Is he alright?" She asked as David leaned down to hug her.

"He'll be fine." David returned her smile as he pulled away and sat down on the bed, facing her.

"Why wasn't he waking up?"

"I don't know, all I care about is that he _did _wake up."

Regina nodded thoughtfully.

"Oh, and the nurse said you wanted to see me, what is it?" David asked.

Regina's expression darkened a little and she cast her eyes downwards. "I didn't want to say anything to the nurses because they would probably say I was just dreaming... you might think I was too, but I'm sure I wasn't asleep." She looked uncertainly back up at him.

David was puzzled, "what are you talking about, did something happen?"

"It was about fifteen minutes ago, and it was really strange because it happened so quickly. The room was dark and I was trying to fall back to sleep, but suddenly I could hear breathing coming from beside me. I opened my eyes and there was a figure standing there, a man. I asked him what he was doing here but he didn't say anything. And after that he was simply gone."

David felt a chill run down his spine. "Are you sure? Maybe it was one of the doctors, or a nurse checking in on you."

"I don't think so." Regina whispered.

"Why didn't you call out to the nurses?"

Regina was about to respond but then stopped herself.

"Do you know who it was?" David asked.

Regina frowned, "I think... it might have been your stepfather."

"Spencer? Albert Spencer? I haven't seen him since I was eighteen. Do you even know what he looks like?"

The brunette nodded, "I've seen a few pictures of him from your childhood photos."

"It doesn't make sense. Why would he show up here, after all this time? And why did he come to you instead of me? I don't even know if he knows we're married."

"Well he must know," Regina looked slightly hurt. "You don't believe me either do you?"

"No, I do. I just don't understand. Maybe subconsciously you remembered him, and you only imagined him being here. It's almost 3:00 in the morning and you haven't had much rest. I don't think Spencer would just show up and then leave without any explanation at this time of night. We haven't wanted anything to do with each other since my mom died when I was ten."

Regina appeared unconvinced. This information about David's past was not new to her, but all the same she was positive of what she saw. "I know that honey, but I'm still certain he was in this room."

David was still trying to be reasonable, but he knew how stubborn his wife could be. "But don't you think someone would have seen him? Coming in? Leaving? I don't think the hospital would just let a stranger wander into patient's rooms in the dead of night."

Regina huffed in response. She wasn't glaring at him, but she didn't look particularly cheerful either.

Suddenly her eyes turned round, "Henry... is anyone with him? I don't want him to be alone. And have you checked on Kaelyn recently?"

"Emma's still with Henry, and Kaelyn is safe too, she is in a secure ward. Random people can't just walk around among babies and newborns in hospitals. Are you worried Spencer might try to get close to either one of them?"

"I don't know what to think."

David squeezed her hand."Well, I think as long as they are in the hospital they will be safe."

Regina nodded ever so slightly, her eyes were betraying a mixture of sadness, uneasiness, and worry. After staying silent for a few moments she asked, "do you think I'll be able to go see Henry tonight?"

"You're never going to give yourself the chance to recover," her husband teased. "We can ask though, I doubt they would keep you from him now that he's awake. He'll want to see you too." David was happy to see a light in Regina's eyes again as she gave him a tender smile.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"I'm sorry, we don't want your wife to be out of bed any more tonight. If she doesn't get enough rest she won't heal properly. Especially so soon after surgery." One of the nurses explained to a frustrated David in the hallway near Henry's room.

"She almost lost her son today, can't you just let her see him for at least a little while? Besides, she won't be able to relax or sleep anyways if you bar her from his room."

"If Henry is feeling up to it we might be able to let him visit his mother in _her_ room. But only if the doctor allows it." The nurse reasoned.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Emma and David were helping Henry out of bed; his doctor had confirmed that he was well enough to leave his room. "I thought you said she was fine?" Henry asked about Regina as Emma handed him a sweater. "What happened to her? Why can't she walk?" His voice was even higher than usual as he worried about his mother's condition.

"Well... there was... a cabinet fell on top of her." Emma awkwardly tried to explain. When she saw Henry's horror stricken expression she quickly added, "don't worry though, she's going to be fine in a few weeks isn't she?" Emma looked to David who nodded in agreement.

"She just needs to take it easy for a while so her legs can heal. They aren't broken, just fractured." he added soothingly, patting the eleven year old on the shoulder. "Other than that your mom is as healthy as usual."

Henry stared wide-eyed up at the two adults who tried their best to look reassuring. "Where is she?"

"Room 132, just one hallway to the..." David started to answer, but before he could finish Henry had already ran out the door.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Regina could hear footsteps racing down the hallway, and within seconds she could see Henry running towards her.

"Mom!" Henry cried when he saw her.

"Henry?" Regina replied in surprise, but all the same she was overwhelmed with joy at the sight of him awake, and more importantly alive.

He had stopped briefly in the doorframe, unsure of what to do next, but when Regina raised her arms for a hug he hurried forward and threw himself into her embrace, sitting on the bed beside her.

"Careful," came David's amused voice from the door as he and Emma caught up with Henry.

"I'm so sorry Henry, I heard you calling in the fire, but I couldn't get to you... I don't know what I would have done if you..." Regina sobbed into Henry's hair. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

In response he hugged her even tighter.

Emma and David quietly stepped into the room, trying not to interrupt too much as they took a seat on the couch against the window.

"Are _you_ ok?" Henry asked Regina. "David and Emma told me you were hurt."

Regina sniffed and looked down at him, "I'll be fine."

When Henry met her gaze she smiled, a gesture which he soon returned.


	7. Chapter 7

_Finally the next chapter, thank you for being so patient! This chapter is a bit darker... you have been warned. _

* * *

Emma and David were just returning to Regina's room to collect Henry. They had been further discussing Henry's condition with the doctor, but now it was time for the ten year old to return to his own room so Regina could get some rest.

"Do you really think it's ok for Henry to be going to sleep so soon after waking up?" Emma asked David as they walked down the hallway. I know the doctor says it's alright, but I can't help but worry that he'll go back into his coma."

"I'm sure Doctor Banks knows better than we do. If he says its safe then Henry should be ok." David reached the door first and held it open for her. "Besides Henry might not even be tired so..." Emma stopped dead in her tracks just inside the doorway, and an unsuspecting David almost ran into her as he tried to follow. "Emma! What are you..." he trailed off again as he saw what had taken her by surprise.

Spencer was standing beside Regina 's bed with a gun trained on her. Henry was unwillingly standing on Spencer's other side as the man had him in a death grip.

"Spencer. What's going on?" David's stomach tightened as he saw his family in danger. His eyes wider than usual and his gaze travelled down to his wife, over to Henry, and then back up to his step-father. Both Regina and Henry seemed surprisingly calm, although Henry was looking a little panicky.

"No," Emma muttered as she felt for her gun and realised it was missing. "Shit! Is that my gun?"

"You really should be more careful Sheriff." Spencer sneered at her title. "You fell asleep with it visible to anyone who entered that room." Emma scowled as he shifted his attention away from her. "Hello David, it _has_ been a while hasn't it?" I've just had the pleasure of meeting your wife and _step-son. _You seem to be following in my footsteps." He turned the gun away from Regina and pointed it at Henry instead.

"Don't!" Emma warned, stepping forward as Regina protested. But Spencer paid no attention to either of the women and spoke to Henry.

"I'd watch out if I were you, David may want to get you out of the picture sometime soon. He might see you as a threat to his perfect new family."

Henry looked confused and as Emma asked what Spencer was talking about Regina tried to signal to Henry, shaking her head to tell him it wasn't true.

"I would never do to Henry what you did to me." David said angrily, "I wouldn't punish a kid for something that is completely out of his control, just because I needed someone to blame. Besides, your situation was completely different to mine."

"Ah yes, I understand you also have a daughter now; not even a year old, how sweet. How is little Kaelyn? I'm glad she survived today's events." He said with a hint of sarcasm. The only response Spencer received was a narrowed stare, so he turned instead to Regina who had a glimmer of hate in her eyes. A deep, dark look that had rarely been seen in those chocolate brown orbs since she had begun to fall in love with David.

Her expression remained stony but her voice quivered as she spoke. "If you caused _any_ of what happened today you _will_ regret it." Her eyes began to glisten as the rage grew even stronger.

Spencer laughed and grabbed her hair, wrenching her head back as he shoved the muzzle of the weapon against her neck. "You are in no position to make threats my dear. First of all, there is the problem of your being crippled at the moment, and second, I'm the one with the weapon. Have no doubt, I will use it on every single one of you before the day is done." He whispered close to her ear. As Spencer's back was turned, David and Emma tried to intervene but he was quick to react, and fired the gun in their direction barely missing David. Emma grabbed Henry, who had been released, and pushed him behind her.

"Ok, everyone stop," she raised her hands. "What is going on? What happened when you were a kid David? And why are you", she jabbed her finger at Spencer, "taking it out on Henry and Regina? What did they ever do to you?"

Spencer turned the gun back towards the others as he slowly released the brunette who was now shivering involuntarily. Regina hadn't reacted to his words, but her icy gaze remained fixed on him as he addressed Emma. "It was so long ago, but it still hurts as if it were yesterday. I fell in love with David's mother Ruth and we were going to have a family together. However after we were married, Ruth decided she wanted to wait a few years until David was older before having children of our own. All I ever wanted was a family... but unfortunately a few years after our wedding Ruth became very ill, and she passed away within a few months. I could have had children of my own, but you got in the way." He spat at David.

"Are you serious?" Emma said incredulously. "I'm sorry... it really sucks that you lost your wife, and that you never got the chance to have kids, but that's not David's fault at all. It was his mother's decision not to have more kids. And there is nothing either of you could have done to prevent her death."

"After she was gone I was trapped to raise a son that was not mine. Every day I saw him I was reminded that he was the reason I was never to have a proper family. I should have sent him to boarding school as soon as the wedding was over. I sent him away afterwards but it was too late, the damage was already done."

"But he wasn't the reason at all. And haven't you punished him already?" She looked to David. "I'm guessing you hated boarding school by the way you responded earlier."

"He sent me to the worst, most violent school he could find." David replied as he tried to move towards Regina who wasn't looking very well.

"Violent as in...?" Emma started.

David stopped as Spencer blocked his path. Although he was speaking to Emma, he concernedly watched his wife. "The students mostly, there were fights pretty much every day and they all loved to pick on me because I was always either seen as "the new kid" or "the orphan". The teachers hated all of us and they were just as bad as the students in my opinion. They never even tried to stop the bullying."

Unnoticed, Henry slowly moved out from behind Emma and walked around to the other side of Regina so he could sit down beside her. "Are you ok?" He whispered, his hand clutching at her arm. She nodded shakily, but Henry wasn't convinced. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I'm fine." Regina whispered heavily, closing her eyes.

"Well wasn't David punished enough back then?" Emma continued. "He was in that awful school for a few years right? That's a rough situation for a kid, especially one who just lost his mother."

"Absolutely not," Spencer growled. "I was doomed to live the rest of my life alone because of him. I am still suffering and so should he. I want him to feel my pain."

"That's why you want to kill Henry and I..." Regina spoke up. "David took away your chance at a family and now you are doing the same to him."

"Perceptive." Spencer said slyly." I lost my wife, and so should he. I was never able to have children, and he shouldn't be given that chance either. I'm sorry Mrs. Mills, I have nothing against you or your children, but your deaths are necessary to make your husband suffer."

"Nolan, my name is Mrs. Nolan." Regina said, masking her feeling of uneasiness with a hint of pride.

"Of course it is." Was all Spencer said.

"Hang on, we're in a hospital." Henry pointed out, seemingly unfazed by the threats but Regina knew better. He was sitting even closer to her then before and was squeezing her arm so tightly that it was throbbing, but not nearly as much as her legs were. "Where is everyone? You fired a gun and no one came to see what was happening."

Regina pulled Henry into her embrace, and tried to hide the tears that were threatening to fall as Spencer grinned, "I was wondering when one of you would notice," I have an arrangement with your doctor. He knows that if I don't succeed, his family will be killed by my colleagues. As it happens, all of the nurses have been dismissed for the night. We are alone, and the other patients won't bother us. They've all been taken care of."

Regina drew in a breath. "You don't mean they are all dead?"

Spencer smiled at her. "No. They were simply put into a drug induced sleep for a few hours. Don't worry my dear they will be fine."

"You are seriously sick." Said an appalled Emma. "And I won't let you get away with this."

"Oh won't you? You'll be dead too Sheriff. After I kill all of you," he waved the gun at Emma, Regina, and Henry, "I plan on taking my own life. David, you will not be joining us."

"What's going to happen to our baby?" Regina asked in a faint voice, her face was extremely pale and she looked like she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Regina! Are you ok?" David exclaimed trying again to get closer to her, only this time Spencer seemed not to care. David sat down next her, with Henry on her other side. She leaned heavily against her husband, not because she couldn't support herself, but because she simply wanted his comfort. He wrapped his arms around her and his eyes too began to swim with tears.

Spencer responded first, "what do you think? Her IV is empty. I'm surprised it took you so long to notice that your wife is in pain."

"Sweetheart, why didn't you say anything?" David pushed a few strands of hair away from her face.

"Because it wouldn't have made any difference." She answered, her breath warm against his skin. He brought his hand up to the back of her head and she closed her eyes, holding Henry closer with the one arm she still had wrapped around him.

"I'm so sorry Regina. This is all my fault."

Regina shook her head, "Don't say that, none of this is your fault." She felt Henry wrap his arms tightly around her and she looked down at him, the ghost of a smile tracing her lips.

Spencer watched the family without an inkling of guilt. He despised the man in front of him and would not be content until every last member of this little family was dead. This now seemed to include the Sheriff but that was a necessary addition. What difference would one more person make? He would be dead anyways, he wouldn't go down for any of the murders. Instead, after all this time he would finally be with his darling Ruth again.

"To answer your question Mrs. Mills, you will be reunited with your daughter soon. I'll see to that. Now, who wants to go first?" He raised the gun and Regina watched it with tired eyes. It didn't seem real. None of it did. "How about you Sheriff?" He turned quickly and pulled the trigger, Emma had been trying to sneak up behind him in order to snatch the gun away without him firing at any of the others. Unfortunately Spencer was well aware of her plan, and the bullet ripped through her chest. She cried out in pain as Henry screamed, and the blonde fell hard to the floor, stirring only for a few moments until she stopped breathing.

Spencer turned to face the other three, however they weren't all huddled together anymore. David had lunged forwards, trying to fight the gun away from his step-father in order to protect his family. He, like Emma, was just too slow. The gun fired again and the bullet went through David's head, killing him instantly. Regina and Henry both screamed as David fell in front of them. Henry clung to Regina and hid his face from view as Regina wept at the sight of her husband, motionless, and bleeding profusely. Regina held her baby close for what she knew would be the very last time. His head was leaning against her chest which was rising and falling rapidly and she closed her eyes, praying his death would at least be quick. The pistol fired for a third time and the bullet penetrated both mother and son. Henry became still, and Regina cradled him as she struggled to breathe. After a few painful moments, everything went dark.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Regina! Honey, wake up." They were in the bedroom of their pristine white mansion. David was trying to pull Regina out of a nightmare, one that had her writhing and moaning desperately, the bed sheets twisting all around her as she struggled in her sleep. "Regina!" He called again, "it's ok, you're safe, you're just having a nightmare."

Regina gasped as she broke out of her dream state, still slightly delirious from being woken abruptly she tried to fight off David. "No, no!" She whimpered, tears beginning to fall down her face.

"Regina shhh... it's only me." He soothed, trying to grab her wrists so she wouldn't accidentally hurt him or herself. "You were dreaming, everything is going to be ok."

Regina's vision came into focus and the face of her concerned husband swam into view. "David?" She sobbed, blinking in bemusement, the fear and sorrow in her eyes slowly ebbed away and was replaced with a pained confusion.

David smiled, sighing with relief. "You had me so worried." He let go of her wrists and placed a gentle hand on the side of arm. With his other hand he began to wipe away the tears from her face. "What happened?"

Regina breathed raggedly and gingerly sat up. She looked around the room with a curious expression on her face, as if she had never seen the room before, and then placed a hand over her legs on top of the covers. She rubbed at them thoughtfully, and David watched her with worry.

"Are you ok? Is there something wrong with your legs?"

She shook her head and swallowed, looking up at him with eyes full of sorrow.

"Then what is it?" He asked softly, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. "What were you dreaming about?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but her voice caught in her throat and instead she broke down crying.

"Awww, it's ok, you're alright." David murmured consolingly as he held her close. "Whatever it was, it's over now." She buried her face in his chest, something she'd never thought she would be able to do again.

"It was... I can't..." Regina tried to explain as the dream began to fade away. She shook her head and more tears formed in her eyes.

"You don't have to talk about it right away." He whispered. "Maybe it's best if you try to forget about it for now." Regina nodded in agreement. Her head was pounding and she felt extremely warm.

David noticed her flushed skin too and felt her forehead. "I think you have a fever. That might explain your nightmares. How about I go get you something for it? And some water. I'll be right back ok?"

Regina nodded. "Ok," she breathed. As her husband stood up, images of the dream flashed into her memory. David: lying in front of her, eyes open, unseeing, and with blood pouring out of a nasty wound on his head. Henry: taking his last breath in her arms. Spencer. Leaving the room to finish the job as Regina's life slipped away, Emma lying motionless on the floor behind them.

Regina was overwhelmed with nausea and was sick over the side of the bed. She closed her eyes and raised a shaking hand to her mouth. David was saying something but his words fell deaf to her ears. She scanned the room again and noticed an old photo album lying on a chaise by the window. And then she remembered; the night before, David had been talking about his unhappy childhood after his mother had died. His words must have gotten into her subconscious and in her ill state formed a terrible nightmare. She took in a deep breath, none of it had been real. There was no fire. Henry, Kaelyn, and David were alive. So was Emma. Spencer had never come for revenge.

"Regina, did you hear me?" David's voice broke into her thoughts.

She shook her head slightly. "No, sorry what did you say?"

"I want you to rest. I'll get you some medicine and then clean this up. Just take it easy for now." Regina blinked heavily in response and slid back down into bed. David helped her readjust the blankets so they were back to normal and then kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back," he whispered.

As he reached the door he heard her quiet voice, "David?" He turned and looked at her patiently. "Can you tell Henry I'd like to see him?"

David frowned at the pain in her eyes. _What had she been dreaming about?_ "Of course I will. He's just having breakfast now. I'll ask him to come up when he's finished."

"Thank you," Regina whispered. She smiled, leaning back into the pillows, finally able to relax.

"And David?"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"I love you."

David beamed. "I love you too."

* * *

_A/N: That's right everything was a lie, I hope you don't hate me. If you are confused because I show different points of views throughout the story, i__ts because I wanted a third person narrator so it seemed more real. Regina didn't know it was a dream, and I didn't want the reader to either. Regina does not know the thoughts of the other characters, but I wanted you guys to. I didn't want to give it away that it was a dream that's why! :P Thanks for sticking with this story and I really hope you are enjoying it! Please let me know what you think!_


	8. Chapter 8

Regina's headache was much less wicked than it had been when she had woken up. The medicine David had given her had reduced her fever, but she was still resting in bed. Henry finished his breakfast and climbed the stairs curiously. When he reached the door to David and Regina's room he paused as if he were waiting for her to invite him in, even though they both knew that it wasn't necessary.

His mother was lying on her side, facing away from the door so Henry couldn't tell right away if she was awake or not. He tentatively stepped into the room.

"Mom?" He whispered.

Regina turned her head to face him. When she saw her son standing there, it felt as if a terrible burden had been lifted from her chest. Although she knew the dream had been just that, everything had seemed so real; she felt as if she really had nearly lost him today. "Henry," she breathed, smiling in relief.

Henry moved further into the room, expectant for whatever it was she wanted to tell or ask him. When she didn't say anything he said, "so... you're sick?" Simply to make conversation.

Regina nodded, "it's just a fever, nothing serious. I'll be better in no time."

Henry was watching her, she was acting very odd. She was staring at him as if she hadn't seen him in weeks and there were tears glistening in her eyes. "Why did you want to see me?"

Regina didn't respond right away but when she did she said, "just... to see you. Do I need a reason to want to see my son?" Her voice was softer than usual.

Henry shrugged, not in an uncaring way.

"Would you want to sit with me for a while?"

Henry frowned when he saw his mother's eyes turn rounder, like she was afraid he was going to turn her down. So he nodded, "ok." He walked around to the other side of the bed as a smile graced Regina's lips, she bowed her head as if out of self consciousness.

Henry climbed up across from her, sitting cross legged on top of the blankets.

Regina's smile widened and her eyes shone as she gazed fondly at him. "That's my boy."

Henry grinned at the familiar line from when he was much younger. "Are you alright? You're acting strange."

"I'm fine, I just had a bit of a bad dream."

He tilted his head, "what was it about?"

She debated on whether or not to tell him. Part of her didn't want to talk about the dream at all, but she felt like she needed to share at least some of it with someone. Besides, she certainly wasn't going to tell him the whole thing so what harm could come from it? Looking up at the ceiling she said, "our house was on fire."

"Were we in it?"

"Yes." She raised her eyebrow and then looked back at him.

"Did we make it out at least?"

She nodded, "David rescued us."

Henry matched her smile, "that doesn't sound so bad then! Did once of us accidentally start the fire?"

Regina's brow furrowed in thought, "no... actually the house just sort of... exploded."

"Cool!"

Regina laughed, "I don't think I'll agree with you on that."

Henry smirked. "Did you dream about anything else?"

Her eyes automatically snapped downwards and her smile faltered briefly. She looked back up at him and shook her head, but it was too late, she had given herself away.

"What else happened?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing honey, that was it."

Henry's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, knowing she was holding something back. However he knew he shouldn't press the matter so he didn't say anything.

Regina, worried she had offended him, decided to change the subject. "Do you have any plans for today?"

"I have to do some math homework, but first I was wondering if I could go hang out with Emma for a while?"

Regina hesitated, but then feeling obligated to she agreed. Even now that she and Henry were on much better terms, it always pained her at how readily he chose to spend time with Emma, and how she herself seemed to need to work extra hard for less. David often said it was because he was growing up, and it was usual for kids to want to distance themselves from their parents. Emma's case was unique. Even though Emma was no longer her enemy, and she had in fact been the key towards Regina's gaining back some of Henry's attention, the mayor still couldn't help but feel envious of the blonde at times.

"Thanks!" Henry beamed. Regina gave a small smile in return.

"Hey you two!" Came David's voice as he entered the room, "having a nice chat?"

They both turned to look at him. Regina smiled in greeting.

"Hey David," Henry replied before turning back to Regina. "Mom, is it ok if I go call Emma now?"

"Of course it is, have fun. Oh, and make sure to be back before dinner." She said as he got up.

"I will. See you later." On his way out David ruffled the eleven year old's hair.

David noticed the trace of sadness in his wife's eyes as she watched Henry leaving. Her hand absent mindedly went to her abdomen, as it so often did when she was thinking about her children. He sat down in front of her and she shook her head slightly before focusing on him. Her hand reached for his; her soft, smaller fingers fitting perfectly into his.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Much better."

"Do you want me to bring you up some breakfast? It's almost eleven."

"...No, that's alright. Thank you though." Some of the colour that had returned to her cheeks during Henry's visit began to fade away.

"Are you sure you're feeling better? You still don't look very well." David lightly cupped her chin and she closed her eyes at his always gentle touch.

"I'm fine." She insisted as David drew his hand back. "I actually think I'll go get some paperwork done," She said, pulling the covers back.

"Regina," David said in concern. "I think you should rest some more. You haven't slept properly in weeks. It's Saturday and you are sick, I think the town will survive if you take a day off. It_ is_ the weekend after all. You shouldn't be doing any work anyways."

"I like to keep busy, I don't mind doing a little bit of work on the weekends every once in a while."

"I know you do, but I really think you need to take a break today. No one will think less of you for sleeping during the day if that's what you're worried about." He joked. "I won't tell anyone."

"David," she smiled. "I'm not even tired."

"Tell that to the purple bags under your eyes. Come on," he said affectionately. "you'll feel much better afterwards I promise."

Regina sighed and cast her eyes towards the floor. She had to admit she was still quite exhausted, but she feared if she went back to sleep the nightmares would return. It was bad enough trying to forget the first ones.

David saw right through her. "You are worried you will have the dream again won't you?"

She only frowned in response.

"What was it?" He ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now." She said. She knew if she started to tell him she wouldn't stop, and she didn't feel ready for that yet.

"That's ok. I'm here to listen if you ever do need to tell someone about it. How about if I stay with you?" David offered. "I won't let anything happen to you. If the dream does come back, I'll be here to protect you."

Regina gave a small laugh. "Oh David, you don't have to do that."

"I want to," he said sincerely.

She smiled and leaned towards him. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips, continuing into a deep kiss which he returned gladly.

Breaking away from him, the brunette pulled the covers back over herself as David got in beside her and reclined against the soft headboard. Regina slid closer to him and found a comfortable position against his chest. He wrapped his arms tenderly around her petite form and she closed her eyes, feeling relaxed and secure. Her breathing evened out as she listened to his heart beating softly, and she tried to wipe her mind of all thoughts; focusing only on the gentle rise and fall of David's chest underneath her. After a few minutes David felt her breathing become deeper as she fell asleep. He smiled lovingly down at the beautiful woman in his arms; he had never in his life felt so devoted to any other person as he did to her.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Regina's eyes fluttered open, judging by the light in the room it was mid-afternoon, and the house was quiet and peaceful. Feeling slightly more refreshed than when she had woken earlier that day, she rolled over to see if David was still with her. His space was empty and as she quickly scanned the room she noticed that he wasn't in the room at all. She didn't take it personally, he had probably just gone to feed Kaelyn and then got caught up in other tasks.

That was something she really wanted to do: hold her daughter. Her beautiful, perfect, darling baby girl. Sliding elegantly out of bed, she headed down the hallway. Once she reached the baby's room she found the crib empty. Knowing that David must have taken her downstairs with him to keep an eye on her, Regina wasn't worried. She turned to exit the room and was surprised to see her husband standing there, leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh! David you startled me."

"Good afternoon," he said. "Did you sleep alright?"

"I did." She smiled. "No more nightmares; you're my good luck charm."

David returned her smile too, but there was a concerned look shadowing his eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."

"Don't worry about it, I wouldn't want you to have given up your whole day. And besides I had a wonderful sleep."

"I'm glad." He came closer and placed his hands on her upper arms, watching worriedly as her eyes sparkled up at him. "What are you doing in here Regina?" He whispered.

"What do you mean?" She asked, taken aback. "I was looking for Kaelyn, I haven't seen her yet today. I trust you have been taking good care of her... " she had been about to say '_for me'_ but trailed off instead. Her eyes grew fearful as she noticed the way he was looking at her. "David? David where is Kaelyn?" Even though she was beginning to remember.

David took her into his arms but she didn't return his embrace. It felt as if a train had just rammed through her heart, shattering it into a million tiny little pieces. She tried to back away from him, not wanting to be held, but he grasped her shoulders gently. His face showed genuine care as he tried to comfort her. She was shaking her head slowly now, her face filling with horror.

"No... David..." She said again."How could I have forgotten?" She was looking down now, hiding her face from his, hoping he wasn't thinking she was going crazy. She herself felt that way.

David could see the panic building up inside her and wanted her to know that he was there for her. "Regina, it's alright. It's going to be ok. You were probably just dreaming about her that's all. Maybe you just hadn't fully woken up yet." He tried to reason.

"It's never going to be ok. How can it be?" Regina sobbed. "Our baby is dead." This time she stepped into his arms and he held her soothingly. Tears were welling up in his eyes now too as he thought of their daughter. Regina leaned her face against his shoulder and she felt his hand come delicately to the back of her head. Kaelyn had died over a month ago of sudden infant death syndrome. Both parents had been devastated of course, but Regina had been inconsolable. She could still remember sitting in the hospital in the middle of the night, holding Kaelyn's tiny lifeless body for hours until David placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and told her it was time to say goodbye.

_"I can't." She had whispered._

_David kneeled down in front of her. "I'm sorry. I know it's hard, but we have to let her go." _

_She continued to stare heartbrokenly down at the child in her arms. Her head shook slowly back and forth. David carefully tried to take Kaelyn from her, but Regina only held her closer. _

_"Just a few more minutes." Looking tearfully up at him. "Please." _

_David had nodded sadly in response. He took a seat in the chair next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders, wishing there was something he could have done to save their baby. _


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey everyone! So just in case anyone was confused as to why I am still updating, I did plan on finishing the story with chapter 7 and I know some of you read the part where I said that it was the end. But then I was asked by a few people to continue so I started working on more chapters. Sorry for any confusion! You weren't wrong, I did say it was complete. I'm not sure how long the continuation will be because I don't quite have the new end fully planned yet, but there are still at least a few chapters to go. _

* * *

David's brow furrowed as he woke up, his neck was a little stiff from sleeping awkwardly, but that wasn't what had woken him. Regina was writhing in his arms. She was still asleep but it was obvious that another nightmare was disturbing her. This one didn't seem as bad as the first, but he wondered if he should wake her up anyways, just in case. The first one seemed to have had a pretty strong impact and the last thing he wanted was for her to suffer, but on the other hand she really did need sleep. He sat up straighter, carefully pulling her up with him so her head was resting on his shoulder. He rubbed her arm softly and she stopped moving, but continued to voice the saddest moans he had ever heard. With the arm that wasn't supporting her, David slowly reached around her, pulling the blankets higher onto the both of them.

"Mmmm." Regina murmured, her face rubbed against his shoulder as she stirred. David paused, waiting to see if she would remain asleep. She breathed in deeply as she woke up, her eyes opening groggily in the faint sunlight that was sneaking through the closed curtains. As her vision came into focus she looked up at him.

"Hey," he said quietly, pushing a few strands of hair away from her face.

"David," she breathed. "You're still here." Her hand came to rest against his chest.

"Of course I am. I said I would stay didn't I?" He said tenderly. "Did you think I would leave?" He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"No," She said truthfully, closing her eyes.

"You had another nightmare didn't you?"

Silence.

"Was it the same as the last one?"

Regina swallowed, and David noticed there was a tear threatening to fall from the corner of her eye.

"Are they that bad?"

"I keep seeing..." She took in a shaky breath, and pulled away to look at him." in this one, Kaelyn was dead."

David felt a chill run down his spine. He nodded sadly, waiting for her to continue.

"And the worst part was that I didn't know. I had gone to see her and then... she just wasn't there. But then I remembered what had happened... She'd died in her crib, we found her in the middle of the night... and it was like losing her all over again." She shook her head bitterly as more tears filled her eyes. "It is the worst feeling in the world."

"I can't even bring myself to imagine how that would feel." David said sympathetically. "Is that what your first dream was about too?"

Regina gazed sadly into his eyes. She extracted herself from his arms and moved so she was sitting beside him, leaning against the headboard sideways, facing him. "No. That one was... really something. It kind of scares me that I created it all in my head."

"What happened in it?"

She opened her mouth to say something but then hesitated. "I want to see Kaelyn." She pushed the blankets off of her and practically ran out of the room.

David was taken by surprise and as a result, was a bit slow to follow her. By the time he caught up with Regina she was already in Kaelyn's room and leaning over the crib, checking to see if she was awake. Kaelyn's crystal blue eyes stared up at her as the baby played with her feet. Regina was speechless with joy, and she gently lifted Kaelyn into her arms as David entered the room. The smile Regina was wearing looked good on her. It closely resembled the one she'd had the first time she ever held their daughter. David's eyes were warm as he approached them.

He wasn't positive, but he thought he heard Regina whisper into Kaelyn's ear, "I'll never let anything happen to you my love." Her smile turned almost pained as she held Kaelyn close.

David came to Regina's side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, looking down at the baby. "See? Kaelyn's fine. Don't let your dreams get to you, none of them were real."

Regina leaned into his embrace as David rubbed Kaelyn's tummy. "I know, I've been telling myself that too... it's just that they were so vivid they can be hard to forget."

"I'm sorry. Hopefully once your fever subsides the nightmares will stop and you'll be able to get a proper sleep."

Regina nodded in agreement before shifting the baby higher into her arms. She placed a kiss on top of Kaelyn's head and closed her eyes, keeping her head bent towards her daughter. She wished she could shake the terrible feelings her dreams had caused. They were weighing down on her like a ton of bricks and simply refused to leave her alone.

"I think I'd like to go for a walk," she said. "A bit of fresh air might do me some good."

"Ok, if you think that will help. Do you want me to come with you?"

"If you want to. I'd like that." Regina smiled. "I'll just go and freshen up a bit."

David leaned in to place a tender kiss on her lips. "I'll meet you downstairs when you are ready. But there's no rush, take your time." He held out his arms and Regina gave Kaelyn to him.

"Be a good girl for Daddy," Regina cooed, tapping Kaelyn gently on the nose. She moved towards the door, but when she reached it she turned back to look at the pair of them. At first glance she seemed happy, but when David looked closer he felt a pang in his chest, for he could swear he saw traces of sadness in her chocolate brown eyes.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Twenty minutes later Regina entered the kitchen, fully dressed, hair and make-up done. Even when she was sick she would never be caught leaving the house until the final touches were complete.

David had just finished feeding Kaelyn and was putting the clean dishes from the morning back into the cupboards. He looked around as he heard her footsteps.

"You look nice!"

Regina looked amused. "I'm sure," she said sarcastically. "There is only so much make-up can do, I still look dreadful. I do loathe being ill."

David walked around the island in the center of the kitchen and stood in front of her. "I know you won't believe me," he said as he cupped her face with his hands, "but you look beautiful, as always." He kissed her forehead.

Regina self consciously looked towards the ground. She reached up to take his hands in hers and their clasped palms came to rest in the space between them.

"Ready to go?" She asked him.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like something to eat first? I can make you some soup if you want."

Regina considered it. "Maybe after we get back."

David had a feeling that Regina was humouring him, and had absolutely no intention of eating after their walk. He knew full well that when she was upset or stressed she was likely to stop eating, sometimes almost for days at a time. Now that she was ill David worried even more about the effects her lack of appetite would have on her. However, he decided to wait until after their walk to press the matter, if indeed she refused to eat again.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The couple were walking along the harbour, the ocean stayed relatively tame and there was just enough wind that it felt nice against their skin, but wasn't too much as to become annoying. The air was cool and had that lovely salty smell that was so traditional of Maine. David was pushing the stroller and Regina had her arm linked through his. This was the perfect distraction from her illness, but more importantly from her thoughts.

"It's a beautiful day," David said, taking in the scenery. "I'm glad you thought of this."

"Me too." Regina patted his arm, gazing out over the water.

"Are you feeling any better? You are looking less pale than you were earlier."

"Much better. This is just what I needed."

They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the fresh afternoon and each other's company.

"I hope I didn't interfere with your plans for today." Regina said, feeling a little guilty that he had been spending his entire day practically babysitting her.

"Not at all. There is no way I'd rather spend my day than to spend it with you."

As she stared at him, Regina's eyes were round and glittering; one could say they were comparative to puppy dog eyes. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" She beamed.

David laughed, he had always felt that way about her too. "Well for one, you brought this little princess into the world." They were both looking down at Kaelyn who was cozily nestled in the stroller. When she saw her parents watching her she gave them an adorable smile.

Regina happily rested the side of her head against David's shoulder. It was moments like this that made life worth living.

A warmth spread through David as he sensed Regina's contentment. She had been so down these past few weeks and it was nice to see her enjoy herself for a change.

"We should watch a movie later," he suggested, "us and Henry. "I think that would be a fun, relaxing way to spend our Saturday night."

Regina lifted her head, "that sounds nice. Maybe Henry can pick one out for us."

"Ya, but we'll have to watch what he chooses this time, I think maybe we'd better go with a comedy." David said teasingly.

Regina blushed and tried not to laugh in spite of herself. "Good idea."

_They'd had a family movie night the previous weekend and Henry had chosen Happy Feet. Regina had thought it would be harmless enough, it was a cartoon after all, and "happy" was in the title. However Regina had soon found herself in a puddle of tears. She had pulled an unsuspecting Henry into a massive hug and couldn't bring herself to let go. Usually movies, especially children's ones, wouldn't affect her like that. However, it seemed that recently the smallest thing had the potential to set her off. _

Regina reached into the stroller in order to rescue a purple toy elephant that Kaelyn was about to push over the side. David stopped walking so his wife could return the stuffed animal to its place amongst the blankets.

"Was Henry this fidgety when he was a baby?" David grinned.

Regina gently touched Kaelyn's head. "More I think. He never liked to keep still. He could be a handful at times I suppose, but he always kept me entertained. He was such a wonderful baby. Just like you Kaelyn."

David's heart swelled as he watched Regina's eyes light up in memory of her son's baby years, while smiling beautifully down at her baby girl.

When Kaelyn reached out towards her mother, Regina raised her own hand to meet the baby's fingers. For a few seconds Kaelyn just swiped absently against Regina's skin, but the baby's tiny fist soon found Regina's forefinger and curled lightly around it.

"I would have liked to see him at Kaelyn's age." David continued. "He's a great kid, you did a really good job raising him."

"Yes he is..." She said lovingly, caressing Kaelyn's hand with her thumb. But then she frowned. When Kaelyn let go of her finger, the brunette withdrew her hand from the stroller and realised that David had been watching her with a curious smile on his face. "What?" She ran a hand through her hair, wondering if something was out of place.

"I love you so much." He whispered.

The corners of Regina's mouth lifted softly. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, slowly lessening the space between them. Her eyes closed as she rested her head in the crook of his neck. "I love you too sweetheart."

She felt his arms protectively surround her, and this caused her to cling to him even more. There were times in her life when she had believed she would never find happiness like this and would be burdened to live the rest of her life alone. Now that she had finally found true love in David, one of her biggest fears was of losing him.


	10. Chapter 10

David entered the living room carrying a steaming cup of tea. He placed it on the coffee table in front of Regina who was curled up under a blanket; her head resting on a pillow that was propped against the arm of the couch. After they had returned from their walk Regina had started feeling worse than before and had decided to take it easy for the rest of the day.

"I thought you could use this." David said.

Her eyes followed him as he sat down beside her. "Thank you," she mumbled. Although she didn't reach for the drink.

Kaelyn was asleep in a play pen a few feet away and Regina watched her through half-closed eyes. She could still remember clearly the images of herself, holding Kaelyn's lifeless form in that dreadful hospital. A tear splashing onto the baby's cold, pale cheek...

Regina mentally shook herself trying to make the remnants of the dream disappear.

"Are you feeling any better?" David pretty much already knew the answer judging by her flushed skin and lack of energy.

Regina swallowed, "not really. And I'm starting to feel a bit weak."

"Should I book a doctor's appointment?"

"No... I'm sure it's just a virus. It'll go away soon enough."

When David touched her arm he could feel her shivering. "I'll go get you another blanket."

"There's no need, I've already got one." She reached down beside the couch and brought a second blanket into view. "I had to take it off because I was getting too warm before."

She sat up and draped the new blanket around her shoulders. David slid closer to her and she leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her to help keep her warm, and she closed her eyes. She tried to relax in his embrace but the chills that seemed to reach every inch of her body were preventing that. Not to mention the steadily increasing throbbing in her head.

"How much time until I can take some more medication?" She asked.

David checked his phone, "about an hour. Can you wait that long?"

"I guess I don't really have a choice do I?"

"Here." David leaned forward to grab the tea and handed it to Regina. "In the meantime try this."

She sat up straighter and her hand came out from under the blankets to take the drink from him. She stared at it for a few seconds, debating. Finally she raised the mug to her lips and took a tiny sip, followed shortly by a fuller one.

"How is it?" David asked.

"It's perfect. " She said, settling against his shoulder again.

David stared at the top of her head. He didn't know if he was imagining it, but her voice seemed sad to him. It could just be that she was sick, but then again he had also noticed the pain in her eyes that afternoon in Kaelyn's room, and even before that in the morning. She had seemed to become more and more withdrawn recently as well. To top it off were the dreams she'd had earlier that day. She had finally told him about her first dream on their walk. Were the nightmares simply just caused by her fever or was there something deeper behind them?

"Are you ok Regina?" He asked delicately. "Besides being sick I mean. If there was anything bothering you, you would tell me right?"

Regina stared at Kaelyn's sleeping form through the screen of the playpen.

"Regina?"

"Hmm?"

"If there was anything bothering you," he repeated, "anything at all, you would tell me wouldn't you? "

When she didn't reply David leaned forward, trying to see her face but the angle she was sitting at made it difficult.

"I only want to help." He said.

"I know you do..."

"Then please, tell me what's going on."

"David..."

He waited but she didn't continue."What is it Regina?"

She nestled closer to him and pulled the blankets tighter around herself, the cup of tea sitting abandoned on the floor.

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

"So there is something wrong?"

Defeated, the brunette sighed.

"David please, not now."

"You're worrying me Regina."

She didn't respond.

"Is it serious?"

Just then Henry walked into the room. "I'm back! Emma dropped me off early, she had to... is everything okay?" He looked from Regina to David and then back to Regina whom he noticed was crying.

Regina sat up straighter, "yes everything's fine Henry. I'm just not feeling well that's all." She wiped a tear away and smiled at him. "Did you have fun today?" She glanced sideways at David who was watching her closely.

"Ya..." Henry stepped further into the room and frowned. "You don't look very good."

"That's no surprise, I feel terrible." She said rubbing her forehead. Feeling quite hot again, she took off both of the blankets and draped them over the arm of the couch. Next she picked up the cup of tea from the floor and returned it to the coffee table so it didn't accidentally get spilled onto her immaculately kept carpet.

She started to stand up but a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, causing her to stumble. David was up in an instant to steady her. She held on to his arms and shut her eyes tight in attempt to stop her vision from spinning.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly. "Maybe you should sit back down."

"Okay," she whispered, and he helped her lower slowly onto the couch.

"Is there anything I can do?" Henry asked.

"Why don't you go get your mom some water?" David answered.

Henry nodded and hurried out of the room.

David was sitting beside Regina again. Her eyes weren't quite focusing on him and he could tell that the fever was getting higher.

"Regina I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"For what?"

He could hardly hear her. He felt guilty for making her so upset, but he was also apologising for whatever it was that was tormenting her. He wished he knew what it was.

"Just tell me what I can do." He guided her back into his arms and she as much as collapsed against him. His hand found the back of her head and he held her close.

A quiet sob escaped from her lips.

Henry soon returned with a glass of water. He held it out for Regina but she wasn't paying attention. He looked to David, silently asking what to do.

"I'll take that." David offered, "thanks Henry."And so the boy passed him the water and then just stood there at a loss of what to do next.

"Is she going to be ok?"

"She will. Here Regina, drink this, it will help." She wouldn't take the glass from him so he set it down next to the tea. "Don't worry Henry, fever's are rarely dangerous. It's usually just because of a virus."

"You'll be ok." Regina mumbled.

David looked down at her.

"What did she say?" Henry asked, realising she had been speaking to him.

"I don't know." David lied.

A tear fell from Regina's eye. "You don't have to be afraid."

Henry crouched in front of her and she reached for his hand. She tried to smile, but it faltered quickly.

"I'm sorry." She said to him.

Henry's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

Another tear threatened to fall and she blinked it away. "Can you forgive me?" She squeezed his hand weakly.

Henry looked up at David who still had his arms wrapped around her trying to comfort her. David rubbed her back. "Shhh Regina. I think you just need some rest."

"Henry," her voice broke. "Please."

Henry's eyes were glistening with frightened tears. "Mom, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please Henry."

"Uhhh... I do. I forgive you."

Regina seemed to relax upon hearing that, she closed her eyes and leaned against David. She didn't let go of Henry's hand.

"David what does she mean?"

David however, felt just as confused as Henry looked. He shook his head at a loss for what to say.

"I don't think she's thinking clearly." David whispered to Henry. "Fevers can have that affect. I wouldn't worry too much about it." Though David's own expression betrayed his worry.

"Okay," Henry responded, but he didn't look convinced. "Mom? ... Mom?"

"Regina?"

Her hand slipped from Henry's.

Deep breathing from Regina told David that she had fallen asleep. David considered carrying Regina upstairs to bed, but decided it might be best to leave her on the couch.

"Henry," David whispered, "can you get one of those blankets?"

David carefully picked Regina up and laid her down across the length if the couch. He then helped Henry place the blanket over her. Finally he knelt down in front of Regina and felt her forehead, which was still very warm.

"Come on," he whispered to Henry, indicating that they should leave the room. "He placed an arm around the boy's shoulders and started to lead him away. Henry glanced back at Regina as they went. When they passed Kaelyn David checked on her. She was still fast asleep.

Henry followed David into the kitchen, looking a little disconcerted. David noticed this and tried to reassure him, "honestly, don't worry. She's going to be okay. I promise."

"But why was she talking like that? What does she want me to forgive her for?"

"I don't know Henry." David patted Henry on the shoulder. "Maybe she was just starting to dream again."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes." David himself wasn't sure. His latest conversation with Regina made him feel like there was more to it but he didn't want to scare Henry.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

It was after dinner, David had already fed and changed Kaelyn and Henry was busy reading in his room. David had left the bottle of pills on the coffee table in case Regina woke up, but they remained unopened. David was just passing the living room when he could hear Regina whimpering. Doubling back, he rushed to her side. She was struggling in her sleep again, much like she had that morning during her first dream.

"Regina, wake up." He tried to reach out to her but her constant thrashing made it difficult.

"Regina, it's ok, it's just another dream. Wake up."

After a while of him speaking soft, comforting words to her, Regina began to calm down. Every once in a while she moaned, but she had stopped struggling.

David was sitting beside her now, rubbing her arm slowly. He heard a soft mumbling but had barely seen her lips move.

"Regina? What did you say?" He whispered.

She didn't repeat it, instead she shut her eyes even tighter causing her brow to crease.

"You're okay Regina. You're at home. Henry and Kaelyn are safe." He added the last part because judging by her last two dreams there seemed to be a common theme. And if this one was anything like the other two, he wanted to reassure her that nothing was going to happen to any of them.

"David..." She barely whispered, still asleep.

"I'm here."

He ran a hand through her hair as she let out a very soft cry.

"Tell me what's going on. Why have you been so unhappy?"

She had been avoiding telling him and he thought maybe now that her defenses were down she might confide in him as to what was bothering her. Even a tiny bit of information might help him to figure it out.

"No..." She sobbed, shaking her head ever so slightly.

He took her hands in his. "Please Regina. I hate seeing you like this. I want to be able to help."

"You can't..."

"Why not?"

She paused. "... It's them... I'm... afraid..."

"Who Regina? Who are they? You don't have to be afraid sweetheart, I won't let anyone hurt you."

She sobbed and shook her head again, saying no more. A tear ran down David's face as he watched her curl onto her side and wrap her arms tightly around her torso, falling back into a deep sleep.

* * *

_Warning, next chapter starts off dark_


	11. Chapter 11

She_ could hear David's voice but other than that, there was simply nothing. All she could see was the darkness. She couldn't feel her own body. She didn't know where David's voice was coming from; he sounded so distant... and she had a feeling that something was very wrong. David's voice soon faded away and she was left with nothing but black silence. She tried to sit up, but something was restraining her, pinning her arms and legs down. _

_Suddenly it was as if all of her senses had decided to kick back in at once, and much too fast. In an instant she was blinded by light and there was a ringing in her ears that was blocking out any other sound. She could feel the hard, uncomfortable smoothness of the metal surface she was lying face up on. She was freezing._

_Where was she?_

_How did she get here?_

_She still couldn't move. Was she tied down? _

_Regina panicked, she was sure if she had been able to hear her heartbeat it would have been pounding ferociously in her chest._

_Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the light. Dark, blurry forms appeared above her, one of them on either side of where she was lying. As her vision steadily sharpened she was able to distinguish them as people. Doctors? They were wearing white lab coats and gloves, but she had a sinister feeling that they weren't here to help her. _

_Her vision was in full focus now, but she didn't recognise either the man or woman standing over her. The room was bright from the fluorescent lights that hung from the ceiling, and the only furniture seemed to be made of stainless steel. _

_The two people were speaking to each other. Regina could see their lips moving but their voices were muffled and far away, as if she was hearing them from underwater._

_She struggled but her body would not move. She tried to speak but no words came out. _

_It was so cold._

_David... She wanted him. She needed him. _

_Where was he?_

_"Dead." She remembered, he was dead. She had seen him die trying to save her. His own step-father had killed him, along with... "No... Henry. Did he get to Kaelyn too?"_

_"How am I still alive?" _

_"I died too. I remember it. I was killed by the same bullet that took Henry's life."_

_She saw the male doctor pick up some sort of thin tool and hand it over to his redheaded co-worker, who leaned over Regina. _

_"No, wait!" Regina tried to say, but no one heard her. _

_What were they going to do to her?_

_She could feel something poking at her chest but it didn't hurt. After a few long seconds the redhead stood up straight and examined the tool in her hand. Something was now clasped inside the end of it. A bullet. The doctor had removed the bullet that had killed her and Henry. She was right, she had died. And this was the morgue. _

_"Why am I still here?" She thought, horrified._

_She looked around the room, searching for answers. There was another table next to her. _

_A table with a body on it._

_"David!" She tried to shout, but once again her voice failed her._

_She fought. Trying to get to him, trying to speak, trying to do anything at all. But while her efforts exhausted her she hadn't moved a muscle. _

_If she had been be able to cry she probably would have been. She just wanted to go home. To be with her family... her husband... her children... _

_She would never get to say goodbye, never get to feel them in her arms again._

_As she desperately tried to move, to tell them she wasn't really dead, she saw the redhead busy herself at another table while the male doctor and a newly arrived assistant brought a black blanket over to David. They unfolded it. And then unzipped it. It wasn't a blanket at all, it was a body bag. _

_"Don't! Please don't."_

_She couldn't bear to be here on her own. _

_As David disappeared from her view she realised there were more black bags on gurney's along the wall. _

_If she had thought her heart couldn't break any more, then she had been wrong._

_In one of those bags was Henry._

_And what if Kaelyn was somewhere over there too? _

_She was fighting against herself, using all of her remaining strength. She needed to know for sure. She needed to see them..._

_xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx_

"David! DAVID!" Henry yelled from the living room, but the call was unnecessary. David could hear her screaming and he was already running as fast as he could.

"What happened?" He asked a terrified Henry as he raced into the room.

"I don't know! A few minutes ago she started to move around a lot, and then she just..." Henry waved a hand towards his mother and then backed away to give David some room as he sat down beside her. Regina was struggling violently again, just like she had about an hour earlier right before she had spoken those unsettling words.

"No. No!" She shouted over and over again, still tossing and turning.

"Regina wake up! Regina!"

She gave a strangled cry as she jolted awake, throwing herself straight into David's arms.

He held her tightly as she shook with sobs, clinging desperately to him.

"David... "

"It's ok, it's over now."

"It was so... I was..." Her voice broke as more heavy sobs took over.

"Shhh..." He rubbed her back comfortingly. "Try not to think about it. Everything is going to be alright."

Regina raised her head as she became aware of noisy crying coming from the other side of the room. "Kaelyn." She sniffed, dazedly looking around for her baby. Her face wet from tears.

"I have her." Came Henry's voice.

She pulled back from David but remained close beside him, each still keeping an arm around the other. Henry stepped forward holding Kaelyn, attempting to soothe her. A half-smile flashed across Regina's face as she saw her son trying to console his little sister. Her smile grew as he took a seat on her other side. Withdrawing her arm from around David, she hugged both Kaelyn and Henry at once. Henry could feel the warmth radiating from her flushed skin as she rested her head against his, but he didn't complain.

Regina closed her eyes; the two of them simply being with her was all she needed. Her two kids, and of course, her husband. Silently she let a few more tears escape. She bit her lip, willing them to stop but it was no use.

Henry eventually noticed that she was still crying as some of the tears ended up on him. He misinterpreted the reason why she was still crying, but all the same she preferred to hide the true reason from him because the last thing she wanted was for him to have to bear the burden of her fears.

"You had another scary dream huh?" He asked. Knowing that she needed it, he probably would have hugged her back if he hadn't still been holding the baby. Kaleyn's cries had subsided as she felt the reassuring touch of both Regina and Henry.

"I did."

"Was it the fire again?"

Regina laughed softly, "No. No more fires."

"What _was _it about?" He asked innocently.

"Nothing I want you to worry about."

"Regina?" David interrupted.

"Mmhmm?"

"How is your fever? I brought some more medicine for you if it's still high."

"Oh that would be perfect. My head is pounding." She sat up straighter and reached towards the table for the glass of water as David handed her two capsules. After swallowing both of them she settled back into the couch. "What time is it?"

"Almost 6:00," said David.

"Hmm... I've spent half the day sleeping." She placed an arm around Henry's shoulders.

"Well you really needed it. Besides you were in no condition to do anything but rest this afternoon, trust me."

Regina watched as Kaelyn cuddled in Henry's arms. With her free hand she reached over and gently caressed the top of the baby's head with the backs of two fingers. She looked over at Henry with a somewhat forlorn expression, but by the time he met her gaze she had replaced it with a tiny smile.

"What were you talking about earlier?" Henry asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"This afternoon when I got home. You kept saying you were sorry, and that you wanted me to forgive you. What did you mean?"

Regina looked confused, she turned to David with a questioning look on her face. "I did?"

David nodded, "ya... you did. I thought maybe you were hallucinating or something but I wasn't sure. Do you know what you could have meant?"

She frowned at the floor, trying to remember what had happened before she had gone back to sleep. "I remember you coming home Henry, and then I think I might have been going to the kitchen for some more pills... but other than that it's just a blur." There was a foreboding feeling rising in the pit of her stomach. "Did I say anything else?"

"Not then." David responded, "but you did seem really upset, and I think you gave poor Henry quite the scare."

Regina looked down at Henry, an almost devastated look on her face, "oh... Henry I'm sorry. I never meant to."

"It's ok, I know." Henry smiled reassuringly.

She rubbed his arm and the corners of her mouth lifted a little.

She turned her attention back to David; "you said I didn't say anything else "_then"_, do you mean I spoke another time too?"

He was about to tell her but then hesitated, he was worried about frightening Henry again. David hadn't told the boy what his mother had said in her sleep and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea now either. Especially since he didn't know why she had said those things. He didn't want to worry him unnecessarily.

"No, it was just then."

Regina stared at him for a bit too long, she knew he was holding something back. What had she said to him?

"Well, I don't know what that could have been about." She said to Henry. "As David said I was probably just hallucinating. Nothing to worry about."

"If you say so."

"Hey Henry did you want to watch that movie now?" Asked David.

"Sure..."

"What are we watching?" Regina asked.

"Shrek," Henry ginned.

"Haven't you seen all of those already? Quite a few times if I remember correctly." Regina teased.

"Yep, but I love it."

"Shrek sounds perfect then." She smiled.

Henry passed Kaelyn to Regina so he could go up to his room to get the disc.

"Henry why don't you make some popcorn too?" David suggested.

"Ok." He stood up and left the room.

"Regina, I actually wanted to talk to you about something you said in your sleep."

"I thought I didn't say anything else?"

"Well... you did. Kind of. I think it was about an hour into your nap; you seemed to be having a rough sleep and I tried to wake you up but you only half did. You said something about being afraid..."

Regina's eyes were wide as she listened.

"You said something about "them"... I think your exact words were "it's them, I'm afraid." But that was all you would say."

Regina's heart was racing now, and she swallowed nervously.

"Who are they Regina?"

"David it was nothing, I was dreaming that's all."

"I'm not so sure. I had asked you what's been bothering you lately and that's how you responded."

She shook her head. "No, I was probably just talking about my dream. There were strangers in it. That's probably who "they" are."

"Regina, sometimes you are a terrible liar." He touched her shoulder and she looked down at Kaelyn in an attempt to hide her face. "Please, just tell me what's going on." David said softly. "I'm worried about you."

Regina busied herself with readjusting Kaelyn's position in her arms. Finally she took in a deep breath, "I'm not seeing people or hearing voices if that's what you're afraid of." She said heavily.

"I never thought that," David said gently, "Please Regina, just talk to me."

"Sweetheart, we are talking." she said. But that was merely as an excuse to not answer him properly.

"You know what I mean."

"David... just forget I said anything. It doesn't matter."

"It seems to matter a great deal to you. Is it that you don't trust me enough to tell me?"

Regina looked at him desperately, "of course I do. You're one of the only people I actually do trust, and you should know that better than anyone."

"Alright, I'm sorry, I do know that... but can you at least say _why_ you won't tell me?"

Regina shook her head. She was guiltily avoiding his gaze again. She didn't want him to worry about her, and she certainly didn't want to hurt him, but by not confiding in him she knew she was hurting him too. But what other choice did she have? She couldn't tell him.

David wrapped an arm around her and she looked up at him, her eyes were moist but she was trying with all her might to keep it together because Henry would be back any second and she didn't want him to have to see any more of her tears.

"You don't have to talk to me about it if you feel like you can't. I don't understand why there would be anything you couldn't tell me, but I don't want to force you to either..." she was starting to tremble slightly so he shifted closer to her and rubbed her arm. In response she leaned deeper into his embrace. "Do you think you would maybe want to talk to Dr. Hopper about it?"

Regina raised a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, "I don't know David." She said quietly.

Henry's footsteps could be heard approaching the living room.

"I think you need to confide in someone if not me. Whatever burden you are carrying, I promise it will be so much easier to deal with if you tell someone about it."

Regina looked back down at Kaelyn. She shifted her higher into her arms, holding the baby protectively against her chest. When she did so, Kaelyn's hand brushed against Regina's cheek, and at her baby's touch she closed her eyes, able to finally relax once more.


	12. Chapter 12

They were about halfway through the movie, Regina wasn't really paying attention to what she was watching and for the most part she was lost in her own thoughts. Her headache had mostly gone away again and she wasn't getting as many hot or cold flashes by now, but she still had that unexplainable feeling of weakness that comes hand in hand with many illnesses.

Laughter from David and Henry brought her back to reality and she focused on the television trying to catch the joke, but she had already missed it. Heaving a sigh, she tucked her legs underneath her and leaned against David. He rubbed her back affectionately.

"How are you feeling now?" He whispered.

"Alright. Better than before," she murmured. In truth she felt exhausted, she didn't understand how she could sleep for so long and still feel tired afterwards.

He raised his hand to her forehead, "You don't feel warm anymore. Maybe the fever will stay down from now on."

"Mmm." She agreed.

"Want some popcorn?" Henry asked her, offering the half empty bowl to her across David.

"No thank you Henry."

"Have you had anything to eat at all this evening?" David asked. "Henry and I had soup for dinner and there is some for you in the fridge. I can go heat it up if you want."

"I'm not very hungry."

"You sure? It'll help you get your strength back."

"No that's okay, I don't really feel like it."

"Okay, well it's there if you change your mind."

Kaelyn began to cry from across the room. Regina could feel David shift underneath her as he was about to get up but she stopped him. "It's ok you've done so much today, I'll go." She said while sitting up and straightening out her blouse.

"I don't mind, you should just relax tonight."

"I'm fine, and besides you don't want to miss anything in the movie. I want to go get changed anyways."

"Alright then." David smiled at her and his hand held hers briefly as she stood up. His eyes followed her as she walked towards Kaelyn.

"Shhhh it's ok sweetie, mommy's here." Regina cooed to the baby as she lifted her out of the playpen and left the room. The winding staircase proved a bit of a challenge, she hadn't realised until now that she was still dizzy. Determined to make her way upstairs without help, she discovered that she could manage if she took it slowly. When she finally reached Kaelyn's room she took a bit of a break. She laid the baby down on the changing table and then leaned against it for support, closing her eyes in attempt to steady her vision faster. When she opened her eyes the room was no longer spinning so she proceeded to replace Kaelyn's diaper with a clean one. Kaelyn happily sucked on her own hand as her mother put a fresh pair of pajamas on her instead of replacing her daytime clothes.

"Come on sweetie, time for me get changed now too." Regina scooped up the baby, kissed her tiny little nose and slowly exited the room, staying alert for any more signs of dizziness.

When she reached her room she laid Kaelyn carefully down in the middle of the bed. Going over to the closet she found her favourite blue silk pajamas and got undressed, frequently checking Kaelyn to make sure the baby didn't somehow make her way to the edge of the bed. Regina sat down next to the little girl as she fastened the last buttons of her shirt.

"That's much better isn't it Kaelyn?" Regina smiled as the baby stared up at her with crystal blue eyes. Should she go back downstairs? Now that she was up here she kind of wanted to stay, the temperature was a bit cooler and the silence was peaceful. Also she didn't know how much luck she would have going back _down_ the stairs. Maybe just a few more minutes.

So she curled up beside Kaelyn, gently caressing the baby's tiny arm.

_**Ten Minutes Later...**_

David approached the bedroom and smiled at the sight he saw. Regina was unaware that her husband's eyes were on her. She was simply gazing lovingly at the three month old beside her; Regina's torso was curved around the baby and she had an arm resting on the blankets on the other side of Kaelyn. The position looked so protective; it was obvious just how much their daughter meant to her. David had stopped in the doorway to watch for a minute or two but he grew concerned when Regina's expression saddened. A few seconds later he saw a tear escape the corner of her eye but she wiped it away quickly. David kept watching as she pulled herself closer to the baby, holding Kaelyn against her.

She whispered something too quietly for David to hear. He wondered if he should give her some space and just leave her with Kaelyn for a while, but he didn't want to leave her on her own if she was upset. Then again, what if she wanted some alone time? David began to head back towards the stairs when he heard Regina call his name softly as she realised he was there.

He turned back to look at her, "Hey, I just came up to see if you were alright. The movie is almost over."

"Oh that's ok. I wasn't really watching it anyways."

"Ya I noticed." He took a seat behind her.

"I also noticed you crying again." He said gently.

She raised her hand and he took it in his, lying down behind her.

"I wish you could tell me."

He heard a tiny sob come from her and she pulled their clasped hands up to her chest so his arm was more securely around her.

"What can I do? I hate to see you in pain, I feel so helpless right now. There must be something I can do to help you get through this."

"Just stay here with me for a while." She said brokenly.

_**2:00 AM**_

David shifted uneasily as he woke up, sensing that something was wrong. He turned to face Regina but discovered that her side of the bed was empty. Sitting up somewhat dazedly he rubbed his eyes, trying to fully wake up. Getting out of bed, he set off towards the hallway and glanced into Kaelyn's room but there was no sign of Regina. Upon entering the room he saw that the baby was fast asleep in her crib. David very delicately rubbed her arm before heading downstairs.

Searching the entire main floor, he didn't find his wife in any of the dark rooms. After he had gone back upstairs he finally found her in Henry's room, sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed. Her elbow was resting on the mattress and the palm of her hand was supporting her head. The boy was asleep and unaware of his mother's presence; she was facing Henry but at that angle and in the dark David couldn't tell if her eyes were open or not. He stepped as lightly as he could into the room, trying not to startle Regina or risk waking Henry up. David whispered her name and she jumped ever so slightly, turning to see him standing there. She wiped her eyes and David heard a tiny sniffle as he crouched beside her and placed a comforting hand on her arm. He held out his hand, silently asking her. She looked down at it and then took it in hers. David helped her up and then she let go of his hand briefly so she could pull the blankets up to Henry's chin and whisper something that was so quiet David couldn't make it out. Returning to David, she placed a hand on his back and he draped an arm around her shoulders. Together they left the room.

When they had returned to their own bedroom Regina sat down on the edge of the bed and David took a seat beside her. At first they both remained quiet. David thought hard about what to say. Asking her if she was alright for about the hundredth time that day seemed pointless when they both knew she wasn't. Her shoulders were uncharacteristically hunched and she had her arms crossed defensively across her waist. Although she was staring at the floor David could still see the tearstains on her face.

"You couldn't sleep?" He asked quietly.

"I didn't want to."

David nodded, he understood. She was afraid of having another bad dream. Unfortunately she still looked exhausted, and also... scared? He thought about the way she had been acting around Henry and Kaelyn; and about the constant mixture of sadness and worry she had in her eyes when she thought he wasn't looking. Also there was still the question of the elusive "them", and how she had looked so afraid when he had asked her about them the first time.

"Regina I need to ask you something."

She turned her head in his direction.

"I know I said before that you didn't have to tell me if you didn't want to, but there is one thing that I do need to know."

Their gazes met.

"Are either you, or Henry and Kaelyn in danger?"

Her frown deepened as she averted her eyes.

David gently but firmly took hold of her upper arms. "Regina please, if you are I need you to tell me."

She looked back up at him with rounder eyes. He assumed her resistance was because she was afraid of what would happen if she said anything.

"Did someone threaten you?" He asked. "Or threaten to hurt Kaelyn or Henry?"

More tears were gathering in her eyes. "No David, nothing like that... well, not really..."

"What do you mean _'not really'_? Someone did say something to you?"

Regina shook her head.

"Well then what? Because whatever is going on I don't want you to deal with it on your own if either yours or our kids' lives are at risk."

She still didn't respond.

"Regina I'm sorry, I really am, but I need you to talk to me."

"No one has threatened to hurt us." She assured him.

She stood up and David let go of her. "Where are you going?"

"To get Kaelyn."

"But she's asleep."

"Well maybe she isn't."

"Regina it's the middle of the night, if she was awake and needed us we would have heard her crying by now." He said softly.

"What if we don't hear her?"

"We always hear her," David smiled a little as he stood. "Relax, she's fine. If she wasn't she would let us know right away."

"I don't want her to be alone if she's awake." She started to leave the room.

"Are you just trying to avoid talking to me?"

Regina stopped and turned back to him, her eyes had grown more pained in the last few seconds."No I... I don't want her to think I don't love her." She whispered.

"What?" David was astonished, but also a little heartbroken. "She would never think that. She knows how much you love her, trust me." He took her in his arms as she started crying.

"Henry didn't," she sobbed against his shoulder.

"What are you talking about? Of course he did."

"Then why did he try to leave me?"

"He was just going through a rough time. He's still here isn't he? That proves that he knows you do love him. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. No one is to blame."

"I should have done more for him." She said through ragged breaths. "I should have been there for him."

"You're here for him now."

Regina shook her head, lost for words.

"Is this what's been bothering you?"

"Mmm..."

David wasn't sure if it was an agreement or just her voicing her anguish, but she continued speaking a few moments later.

"I don't want to hurt Kaelyn the way I did Henry." She gasped. "I want to be a good mother for her. And for Henry."

"You are a good mother. And I know Henry thinks so too, even if for a while he doubted you. But you came through for him just like you always will. And now he knows how much you love him. Like I said before, he was just going through a rough patch. He always loved you and I'm sure he always knew you loved him. He was just having a bad last few years."

Regina remained silent, clinging to him for support. He rubbed her back soothingly as he tried to hold back tears of his own.

"Why didn't you tell me you felt this way? Is this why you have been so upset? I would have been able to help."

"I couldn't tell you."

"How come?"

She swallowed, too ashamed to voice her thoughts.

"You shouldn't have had to carry this by yourself."

"I thought... never mind just forget about it."

"No please tell me. You had me terrified."

"You'll think it's stupid."

"I won't, I promise."

She took in a shaky breath and pulled back from him slightly, but kept her eyes downwards. He searched her face for clues. "Well," she started, "I was... afraid that..." She trailed off.

"Afraid of what?"

"I thought you would remember what had happened with Henry, about how he ran away because of me. I thought that maybe... if you worried that the same thing would happen with Kaelyn you wouldn't want me around her. I just... I didn't want you to leave with her." Regina self-consciously avoided his gaze, it was now that she was finally voicing her fears aloud did she realise that David would probably never do something like that to her.

"You were afraid of me?" He asked sadly.

Regina looked up into his eyes and saw that the torment in them matched her own. "I'm sorry." She whispered. He pulled her back into their embrace and she closed her eyes. It felt good to finally let it all out.

"Don't be sorry." David said. "It's my fault, I should have been able to reassure you, to let you know I'd always be there for you no matter what."

"It was never your fault David."

They both stayed quiet for a few minutes as Regina tried to calm down. They were both feeling guilty: Regina for putting David through so much and for doubting him; and David for not figuring out what was bothering Regina when she had first started showing signs of unhappiness.

"Here, let's sit back down," David suggested, and Regina followed him as they took a seat on the bed.

Regina leaned against his chest and he ran his fingers delicately through her hair.

"Who was the 'them' you were talking about in your sleep then?" David wondered.

"I think I must have meant Henry and Kaelyn, and you heard me saying I was afraid of losing them..."

"Ohh." David finally understood. "That was the part that was really starting to scare me."

"I'm sorry, I guess I should have just said what it really was."

"No it's okay, you had your reasons not to and I think I can understand what you must have been going through. I'm just relieved to know that you guys aren't in any danger."

She was silent for a minute. "David what's wrong with me?" She asked quietly.

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong with you Regina."

She sat up straighter. "Why do I feel this way? We just had a baby. We're happy together. So why have I been so..." She couldn't finish her sentence because she didn't know what she was feeling.

"I don't know... but I want you to know that I am here for you. Always." She smiled as he kissed her temple. "I love you Regina."

"I love you too David."

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_A/N: Congratulations to LadyFfion who was the first to figure out what was going on! :)_

_Also, comments are highly appreciated!_


	13. Chapter 13

David lay on his side watching Regina sleep. She had tried so hard to stay awake from fear of having another nightmare, but in the end her fatigue got the better of her and she fell asleep in his arms. Even now that she was asleep David remained awake, his mind was much too busy. He knew something had been wrong for a few weeks, he should have done something sooner. He should have figured out what was wrong and helped her to get through it. Maybe he thought it was just hormones and it would go away in time, but when her fever hit yesterday it was obvious that she was suffering just as much, and maybe even more than before.

Regina moaned in her sleep and shifted into a more comfortable position. David inched a little closer to her, hoping she wasn't about to have another nightmare. Her fever had reduced tremendously and she had taken a final dose of medicine before bed so she shouldn't have another one, at least not one caused by the fever. She hadn't been plagued by nightmares before she had fallen ill so hopefully now that she was getting better they would stop.

After a few minutes she fell back into a deeper sleep and began to breathe in heavy, even breaths. David was pleased to see that she finally looked peaceful and at ease. She'd had such a rough day, she deserved to finally have a restful, undisturbed sleep. Even in the semi-darkness she looked so beautiful, and he had to resist the urge to reach out and run his fingers through her soft brown hair because he didn't want to risk accidentally waking her up. Instead he had to stay satisfied by simply watching her sleep.

Around 5:00 in the morning David eventually fell asleep too, and over the course of the next few hours the couple ended up closing the space between them. When Regina was the first to wake up around 8:30, she found that they both had an arm around each other. Her cheek was now pressed up against David's chest while he was lying on his side with his arm draped delicately around her waist. Feeling the warmth and coziness of the embrace Regina allowed herself a soft smile. She had finally had a decent sleep, one that wasn't riddled with dreams of horrible things happening to her or her family. She could feel that the fever had finally disappeared and she no longer felt as weak or queasy as she did when she had woken up the morning before. She knew she had to get up to look after Kaelyn, but she wanted to enjoy this moment for just a few more minutes.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Around 10:00 David entered the dining room to find Regina helping Henry with his homework, and Kaelyn sitting in her high chair close by.

"Morning," David greeted them.

"Good morning sweetheart," Regina replied.

David leaned towards her and they shared a quick kiss before he pulled out a chair for himself as Henry smiled at him in acknowledgement.

"Did you have a good sleep?" David asked Regina.

"I did. No nightmares thank goodness."

"And your fever?"

"Gone I think. I can't even begin to express how relieved I am to see it go."

"Good, I'm happy you're feeling better and that you were finally able to get a proper sleep."

"Oh believe me, me too."

"And how about you Henry?" David asked. "Did you have a good night too?"

Henry looked up from the math problem he was attempting to work through. "Yep, I dreamed that I had a pet dragon and I could fly him wherever I wanted."

"That sounds like fun!" David said as Regina lovingly ran a hand through her son's hair.

"It was. I think it was inspired by the dragon in Shrek. Except mine was blue, and... he wasn't in love with a donkey."

"Sounds really cool Henry."

Henry smiled at him before returning his attention to the worksheets in front of him.

Regina placed her hand on the boy's arm, "Henry why don't you try working through the next few questions on your own. If any of them give you trouble just mark them and we'll go through them together afterwards. I need to talk to David for a little while."

"Alright," Henry agreed.

"We'll just be in the study if you need anything." She said.

Henry watched as the two left the room, David's hand was resting in the small of Regina's back. Kaelyn cooed from a few feet away and Henry looked at her. His little sister stared curiously back at him for a few seconds before banging happily against the plastic tray in front of her with her chubby hands and smiling proudly at the noise it made.

"You'll help me with my math won't you Kay?" Henry grinned.

Kaelyn stopped momentarily to listen to his voice. She gurgled in response and then continued to hit the front of the chair.

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David took a seat on one of the couches in the study and Regina sat down opposite him.

"I've given some thought to what you suggested last night. About going to see Dr. Hopper." Regina began.

David nodded, "and?"

"I think I should give it a try."

David stood up and crossed to sit beside her instead. "I think that is a great idea. I'm glad you want to do this, I'm positive Archie will be able to help."

"I hope so." Regina gave him a small smile.

David wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"David there is something else I need to say." She placed a hand on his knee.

"What is it?"

"Last night you asked if... I had been afraid of you... because I'd said I was afraid of what you might do if you thought maybe I would be a bad mother to Kaelyn..."

"Regina, I told you I'd never think that."

"David please just let me say this."

"Sorry. Ya, I remember."

"I was never afraid of _you_. I didn't mean it that way... it was just, it's hard to explain. I'm sorry. I just don't want you to think you are the problem because you're not."

"Regina you don't have to apologize for anything. I think I understand what you meant. You're just afraid of losing Kaelyn. That is every mother's worst fear. I should be the one apologizing. I should have been able to prevent you from feeling this way. I should have been there for you more."

"David you have been nothing but supportive since I became pregnant. You were always there. I know the problem is with me. I shouldn't have been thinking..."

David cut her off, he held her shoulders firmly, "Don't say that, you are not the problem."

"But then why, despite everything we have: our family, each other, why have I been so unhappy? It has to be me."

David circled his arms around her and placed a light kiss to her temple. "You won't always feel this way, I know you won't. Things will get better. In the meantime just always remember that I'm here for you. You never have to be afraid to tell me anything no matter what it is or how you'll think I'll react. I'll always stand by you. I promise."

Regina took in a shaky breath as she turned into his embrace and slid her hands up his back. When she closed the space between them David pressed his cheek against the side of her head.

"I honestly don't know how you put up with me." She said heavily, laughing somewhat in spite of herself.

"Because you're my world."

"I love you so much David." She whispered, pressing herself even closer to him.

"I love you too sweetheart."

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It was Monday afternoon and Regina was sitting on one of the couches In Dr. Hopper's office, the rims of her eyes were red and she was holding her arms tightly around her waist.

"From what I have gathered Regina, you have been haunted by the thought that other people see you as an unfit mother. You've also started to lose faith in yourself. We both know how much you love your daughter, how much you love both of your children. You could never hurt either of them. And no one else is going to try to take them I promise." Archie smiled at Regina who stared back uncertainly. " I'm sorry but unfortunately we are almost out of time. I'm really pleased with how much you've opened up to me today, we are off to a great start. Now, I am going to prescribe some anti-depressants but I'd like to keep meeting with you on a weekly basis if that's alright with you. I think in time we can help you get passed this."

"Yes, that's absolutely alright with me. I just really want to stop feeling this way."

"Don't worry Regina, everything is going to be fine."

She cleared her throat to respond, but then contented herself by simply nodding.

"I do have one more piece of advice to give."

Regina looked up at him expectantly.

"You are still working as mayor correct?"

"Yes, but I'm not going in every day. Most days I work from home."

"I'm wondering if it might be better for you to take a break from work for a while. It would allow you to spend even more time with your daughter; and taking the time off would give you the necessary rest you have been denying yourself. I know getting enough sleep isn't always something one can control, but by taking away the added stress that work brings I think you will be able to have a quicker recovery."

Regina considered it. It would be nice to just relax and not have to worry about any town business for once. "But who will look after everything? I don't want to step down as mayor."

"No no of course not, I'm not asking you to give up your position at all. I'm just suggesting maybe having someone stand in for you for a month or two, maybe even longer if you end up needing it. If you really didn't want to trust your position to someone else completely, you could still consult with them once in a while, but I think it would do you a world of good to let someone else deal with the town's problems for the time being."

"I suppose... I'll think about it. I already know David agrees with you 100 percent. He tried to get me to take some time off after Kaelyn was born."

Archie grinned as he wrote on a slip of paper. "Please do, I really think it would be a huge help." He handed the prescription over to Regina and she examined it before tucking it into her wallet. Archie stood up and said, "try to relax tonight, and if you'd like, discuss our session with your husband."

Regina nodded as she too stood up. Archie handed her her coat and she slipped it on. "Thank you Dr. Hopper."

"It was my pleasure Regina." He walked towards the door but before he opened it he paused with his hand on the knob, "don't be ashamed of your condition. Postpartum depression may be rare, but there are still 10-15 percent of new mothers who suffer from it every year. Even though every case is unique, some of these women are experiencing pain extremely similar to your own. You are not alone. And you are very lucky because you have an extremely supportive husband. He will help you get through this. For now all you need is lots of rest, and to spend as much time with your family as you can. I know you will start to feel better soon."

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_A/N: I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be the last one, but in the future I may write some one-shots with this EC family because I've grown very fond of the four of them. I also may post a dream scene that was cut from the story but I haven't decided yet. Thanks for continuing to read!_


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